


Radio Silence

by Alexiel (Stormess)



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Bucky Barnes Feels, Drug-Induced Sex, Dubious Consent, Enemies to Partners to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Language, F/M, HYDRA is a bag of dicks, Infinity War Never Happens Here, Kidnapping, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Psychological Torture, Sassy Tony Stark, Smut, Steve Is a Good Bro, Unplanned Pregnancy, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-04-17 00:36:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 37,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14176761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormess/pseuds/Alexiel
Summary: When a mission crosses S.H.I.E.L.D's desk that promises to oust and apprehend more members of Hydra, Nick Fury will send his best. But it's a narrow line to walk when his agents will have to infiltrate a popular vacation spot that just happens to be crawling with bad guys.But because this is Hydra, he's sending in Bucky to act as not only the brute force, but as a man who can identify some of these people they don't have files on. His partner? Twenty year old Teagan Brooks; an Avenger for two years, who has her own problems with Bucky.Now they're being sent off under the guise of being recently engaged. And Bucky is sure that if Hydra doesn't kill him, Teagan probably will.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I will be posting as often as possible, but please be patient with me. Thank you to everyone who stops in to read this, I hope you will enjoy it. 
> 
> But PLEASE check the tags before reading, they're there for a reason.
> 
> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to my first fic for the Avengers fandom, I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you for coming here to read it.
> 
> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

Early morning, and the tower was blessedly quiet.

Teagan Brooks was lounging in the kitchen, perched up on one of the counter bar stools as she sipped her coffee and perused the morning news on the tablet clutched in her hand. Long, auburn colored hair was pulled into a messy bun on her head, left wild and untamed since she would go to the training room after this and get in her morning routine. That was also why she was dressed in shorts and tanktop, no sense getting fully dressed when she would just go to the training room soon anyway. It was nice to have some quiet time in the tower though, as that was usually something that came in short supply with the Avengers around. Most of the time though, she was able to at least get in an hour's worth of blessed quiet before everyone else woke up.

But today, she was more on edge than usual, and with good reason really. Steve had finally found his war buddy, who had proceeded to beat the ever loving shit out of most of the Avengers team before being subdued. Teagan didn't have a clear memory of it though, as she'd taken a hard hit to the head with a 'blunt object' according to Natasha. Following that hit on the head, she'd been out of commission for a number of days while she recovered from the near death experience. They had told her that if she'd been hit any harder, it likely would have killed her from the impact alone. Funny though, that the blunt object wasn't just some random junk flying around in the fight, it had been Bucky's metal arm that bashed her over the head.

Now he was in the tower, actually  _living_ in the tower with all of them as per Steve's request. For once, Teagan stood firmly with Tony on things; the man had no business living with them after what had happened. Not only had Bucky nearly killed her and countless other people, but there were many more that he'd actually killed. He was an assassin, no matter how Steve pleaded that he wasn't like that, and she had been firm in her protest of letting Bucky come live in the tower.

Though, it was weird to agree with the billionaire, and Teagan had had to really think about it before deciding that yes, she still did agree with Tony. Because let's be honest here, when is it ever a good idea to agree with Tony Stark?

The problem, aside from the obvious worry in the edge of her mind that Barnes would snap and kill everyone, was the fact that he slept very little. Which meant that her morning time had been cut down to almost nothing now that he was living there in the tower. It grated on her nerves to see him walk in every morning, that stupid smile and those bright eyes twinkling at her. Even on his bad days when he wasn't smiling, those eyes still sought her out no matter how much she tried to ignore him.

God, she wanted to punch him in his stupid face just for looking at her most days. Teagan was adamant that she had a right to punch him though, because she hadn't gotten the chance to repay him for all the time she'd spent in medical after he damn near killed her. Of course, Steve was also just as adamant that her hurting Bucky was not going to solve anything.  _It would make me feel a hell of a lot better though_ , she thought to herself.

Just thinking about it again made her grip her coffee mug a little more tightly, the groan of the thing threatening to shatter from the pressure was what made her relax her grip a second later. Oh she had more strength than the average person around town, but that strength was nothing compared to Steve and the others with enhanced abilities. Not that it mattered, they still all considered her one of the team and had been happy to accept her help when she'd come to join up with them a few years back.

That had been an adventure really, waltzing up and saying she wanted to join the Avengers, though they hadn't been called the Avengers back then. Still, Fury had checked into her and decided that she'd be a good addition to the team, and Steve had agreed once he'd met her. Mainly on the grounds that they needed all the help they could get, but also to have another female on the team, because there were some things that men just couldn't do. And no matter how good she was, Natasha couldn't handle all those jobs by herself.

She hadn't been entirely ready for what followed that join up though; the battle to protect the Earth from Loki and his army of Chitauri. Meeting the god alone had been unsettling enough, but having to fight those clearly alien things had been nothing short of a nightmare. Still in the end of it all they had won, reclaimed the Tesseract, and apprehended Loki to be returned to Asgard to face justice. She had been intrigued by him by the time Thor was ready to return home, and part of her had hoped she'd have the chance to meet the God of Mischief again. Though, she was hoping that the next time would be in a less deadly manner, you know where she was fighting for her life and all.

Sitting the mug down, Teagan sat up a little straighter, working the kinks out of her neck and shoulders as the door opened and in strolled the one man she didn't want to see. Bright green eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of the Winter Soldier, who paused as their eyes met across the short distance.

He smiled that same easy smile that made her want to punch him, “Teagan... you're up early all the time, huh?”

Teagan just looked at him silently, it was impossible to miss the way his white t-shirt clung to him, stretched taut over his chest. Showing off that toned body beneath it in a way that only aggravated her more to have to see him like that. She hated that he could look so damn good, because men like him were not supposed to look the way that he did. The thought crossed her mind, as she sat there staring at him, that she really should just go over there and sock him one right now.

If for no other reason than the fact that it annoyed the hell out of her that he was attractive. Petty, yes, but she'd never denied it.

Miracle of miracles though, Tony strolled through the door a second later, instantly drawing her full attention with his presence. It was odd to see him so early in the morning, and fully dressed in his Black Sabbath shirt and jeans, one of his favorite outfits from what she had gathered. That also meant that today was one of his days off, which was also surprising because Tony Stark didn't do early mornings without good reason.

“Oh, Barnes...hi there. Ah, and Teagan, just the woman I came looking for!” Tony said with a smile that had her seriously unnerved as she gazed at him cautiously, he was never this friendly with her unless something bad was about to happen.

“Just remember, I have a gun.” She commented lightly as she took another drink from her mug before placing it back down on the counter as he came around the side toward her.

Sitting himself down next to her, he swiped the coffee mug and took a sip before making a face and sliding it back toward her, “Is that supposed to be coffee? You know, because it doesn't taste like coffee at all to me. That is truly terrible, how do you drink that?”

Snorting in satisfaction at his displeasure, she took her mug back and sipped the still warm contents, “My tastes are much more refined than yours, Stark. Now what the hell do you want at this hour of the morning?”

Seemingly not put off by either of them actively ignoring him now, Bucky came on into the kitchen and started rummaging around for something to eat. He was used to her not speaking to him, it had been painfully obvious the first time he'd set foot in the tower with Steve. She had nearly shot him, had it not been for Steve rushing forward to wrench the gun out of her hands and hold her back.

Bucky hadn't known what to make of her then, seeing the way her eyes flashed with anger as she struggled against Steve's hold, seemingly intent on killing him. Not that he had a right to question that, he had attacked them, and though he couldn't clearly recall the entire fight, he knew he'd done something to her. Something that Steve later explained to him, how he'd nearly killed her in their fight. It hadn't helped his case that he'd almost killed Natasha and Steve as well, seeing as they were her two best friends.

He'd tried to apologize as sincerely as he could, but she had refused to accept it, refused anything that even resembled the hope of a truce. And he'd understood her animosity, choosing not to pursue that path again with her. Instead, he'd opted to try and start from scratch and befriend her, though that was clearly not working worth a damn either.

At the moment, he could feel her eyes even though he was innocently rummaging in the pantry for something to have for breakfast. Teagan's senses were trained on him, if he made one wrong move, the gun at her hip would solve the problem quickly. No way was she going to take chances with him around, she went armed no matter where she was in the tower. He used to bring his own weapon, placing the gun on whatever surface was available so that the muzzle was always pointed at him.

That had bothered Steve quite a bit, because it had been a failsafe for Hydra, and that was something he'd put a stop to early on. She could have cared less really, she didn't trust the man and would rather not even have him in the same city, much less the same building, as she and her friends. But that wasn't her call to make, so the best she could do was just get used to it and deal with whatever came. Which was hard for her, because they lived on the same floor, Steve's floor actually. The three of them each having a room on the same hall with Steve's being between theirs as a sort of safety measure.

“Cute, very cute, Tea. Now pay attention, you're being sent out on assignment again, undercover this time.” Tony stated as he produced a single folder and held it out toward her with a beaming smile that instantly put her on high alert.

Green eyes watched him carefully as she snatched the folder from him and perused the contents as quickly as she could, “Alright, undercover with my longtime boyfriend, recently turned fiancée, and we're vacationing as a happy couple. Wonderful planning Stark, really. Does Steve know about this?”

It was easily assumed, as she had almost always been paired with Steve for assignments that called for her to act as a romantic partner. Not that the two were anything of the sort, it was just easier to pretend with him, because they were close to each other. Or, they had been close before this new arrival to the tower, now her relationship with Steve was strained, at best. Still, maybe a mission away together, without Bucky around, would help the two of them to repair their friendship to what it had been before. Or at least that was the thought that ran through her mind.

“Oh sweetcheeks, you're not going with Capsicle this time. He has to stay here to lead the team in when you gather all the information we need. Besides, he doesn't have enough background with these people to be of any help this time. We're sending you with someone who can ID these guys.” Tony said with a grin that instantly made her want to shatter the window behind her and leap to certain death.

Nothing good ever came from that look he was giving her, the one that said he was going to enjoy the torment that was coming for her.

Resisting the urge now to punch him, Teagan put the folder down and locked eyes with him, “Tell me who I'm going to be working with, Tony.”

Slipping off the bar stool, Tony went around and punched a button on the espresso machine as she kept her eyes locked on him. When the cup was full, he snatched it up and took a sip before starting toward the doorway of the kitchen, prompting her to stand up from her seat.

“Relax kitten, you're going on a romantic getaway with Barnes. You're gonna love it, I bought you a full wardrobe for the whole trip. Lots of silk and lace, really revealing stuff, you like those right? 'Course you do, all women love that kinda thing. Plane leaves in four hours, don't be late!” Tony called out as he all but ran from the room, leaving Teagan and Bucky alone in the kitchen with that little bombshell he just dropped.

She was glued to her spot, green eyes wide as she stared at the door that the billionaire had just left through a few seconds ago. Was she hearing things? Going out on an undercover mission with the one man on the planet that she wanted to rip into tiny pieces. And they were supposed to be a couple that had just recently gotten engaged on top of it?

Bucky was similarly shocked at what had just been said, his blue eyes flicking over to her as she stood frozen in her spot. He'd only been on one mission before, and it had been with Steve and Tony, obviously to ensure that he didn't kill anyone. But this was different, being sent on a mission with her was not going to be a good idea, not with the way she hated him. Though it was more than that, his nightmares were something that could make him dangerous, something that Steve helped him through.

Having her too close to him during one of those was going to be trouble, he could lash out and injure her, or worse kill her. Still, he couldn't argue the fact that part of him wanted to see what she'd be like undercover, when she had to be a different person. It helped that Tony had already put the idea in his head that he might get to see her in something much more revealing.

Yes, he was thinking about her in some skimpy little article of clothing. He was an ex-assassin, that didn't mean he didn't find women attractive. She was particularly attractive to him though, so fiery and strong beneath that fragile looking exterior. Wetting his lips a little, he shifted so he was facing her, working out what to say to her as she just seemed to be frozen there.

Taking a slight breath, she didn't even spare a glance at Bucky before she took off out of the kitchen at full speed once she'd collected herself, “Tony! Get your ass back here right now!”

He was in full on sprint mode toward the elevator though, “Take it easy kitten, it's just a mission and I'm just the delivery boy! Nothing to get worked up over! I even bought you clothes, chicks love new clothes right!”

Growling at that, she pushed herself to run faster, trying to catch him before he made it onto the elevator and managed to escape. And he had just about made it when the doors opened to reveal Steve and his girlfriend just stepping out. Though as soon as his blue eyes spotted Tony and then Teagan, he lifted the other woman up and out of the way of any potential damage as Tony skidded to a stop.

“Oh thank goodness, Cap! Your friend back there, completely crazy, little help here!” Tony said as he ducked around Steve just at the elevator doors closed, preventing his immediate escape from the area.

Teagan slid to a stop as Steve sighed and sat Anna back on her feet beside him, “Alright you two, what happened this time? Why are you trying to kill him, Tea?”

Holding up his hands innocently, Tony shrugged as he tried to play the victim, “I have no idea. I just delivered her the order for her new assignment and she went a little nuts on me. Tried to tell her, there's no need to shoot the messenger.”

Anna shot Tony a completely deadpan look and crossed her arms over her chest, “Since when are you just an innocent bystander, Anthony?”

He looked at her with a pout, almost like he'd watched her kick a puppy, “Oh that hurts, real deep too. I am completely innocent here, Anna!”

Steve had to struggle to keep himself from laughing as he turned his full attention to Teagan and stepped forward, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “It can't be that bad of a mission, Teagan. Tell me what it's about and we can talk through it before you have to leave.”

His thought was that maybe the mission was something that had her worried, or was more dangerous than she had hoped. As her friend, and the default leader, he wanted to try and help reassure her that everything would be fine and she could definitely do this.

Glancing up at him, she shifted and then cut her eyes back over at Tony; who was repeatedly stabbing the down button for the elevator in hopes of a quick escape, “Tin man back there set me up on an undercover mission with your best pal, Steve. Vacationing together as a newly engaged couple no less... _engaged_  Steve.”

Dropping his hand away from her shoulder, he whipped around to look at Tony, who had finally gotten the elevator to start coming back up to the floor, “Are you out of your mind Tony?”

“No, I'm actually all here, Capsicle. And need I remind you, it was your idea that the two of them needed to spend time together in close quarters to learn to get along. I just did my part and made sure the two lovebirds would hit it off. And, you know, gave her some sexy lingerie to go with it!” Came the reply from Tony that had the rest of them tensing up as Teagan's eyes shot to Steve with a look of absolute betrayal.

Anna was giving Tony a look that said he was quite likely to be dead later, and Steve slowly turned to look at her, a mixture between guilt and remorse on his face.

“Teagan, I can explain this. It's not what it sounds like.” He said as he held his hands up in a way that was supposed to be placating her, when in reality it only pissed her off even more.

Shifting a little, Teagan eyed him carefully and then swung, catching him on his left jaw hard enough to make him take a half step back.

“Don't bother explaining anything,  _Captain._ I got it all loud and clear this time.” She snapped back at him before turning and storming off toward the stairs.

“I think that went very well, no one died and the mission is still a go.” Tony said happily as Steve and Anna both turned to look at him as he finished off his espresso that he'd run out of the kitchen with.

Raising his eyebrows, the billionaire held up his hands a little, “What? I'm just helping them out a little, that's all. They're going to be alone, she's got lingerie, they're sharing a bed...you know where this is going, right?”

“You'll be lucky if she doesn't kill you, Tony.” Anna said back to him as she shook her head and looked back over at Steve, “I'll go talk to her and see if I can get her to calm down. Do you think Bucky's okay?”

“Me? I'm fine, why wouldn't I be okay, doll?” Bucky asked as he walked up to them with a slight smile that Steve frowned at just a little bit.

Sliding his hands into his pants pockets, Bucky shrugged a little, “That one doesn't like me much, but she's got her reasons, and I'm okay with that.”

Shaking his head, Steve took a step toward his friend as Anna nodded to them and headed off to go try and calm Teagan down a little.

“I don't know what's gotten into her, Buck. She's not usually like this with people. I know you two didn't meet under great circumstances, but it still isn't like her.” Steve said as he glanced back down the hallway she had disappeared down before turning his attention back to his long-time friend.

Lifting his flesh hand, Bucky put it on Steve's shoulder for a few seconds, “It's okay, Punk. We'll sort this out between ourselves, I'll go and talk to her myself and see if we can't patch it up enough for the mission. I know she's not too fond of me, but what's the worst that could happen?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.
> 
> This chapter has some crucial happenings that I felt were needed in order for their mission to even be able to start. I know some people are going to say that Teagan's reaction was too quick, but it plays a big part in one of the upcoming chapters. 
> 
> Thanks again to all who stop in to read this, I appreciate it and hope you enjoy the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

“ _I know she's not too fond of me, but what's the worst that could happen?”_

That had not been the smartest thing to ask, and Bucky was well aware of that when he stepped into the training room a couple minutes later. Anna was standing near Teagan as the younger of the two threw punches at the bag hanging in front of her. There were already two on the floor, and sand everywhere, which was a testament to how mad she was about this whole mission thing.

Even without having as much strength as Steve, she could still put some punching bags out of commission for a while if she tried hard enough. But that was one of those things that Bucky liked about her, that she wasn't a weak, delicate little slip of a woman. Oh she might look like spun glass, but he knew well enough that she was nowhere near as weak as people thought she was. After all, he'd watched her put Steve on the ground more than once, and not because he was letting her do it either.

Hanging back near the door, he watched from a safe distance as Anna spoke in that same sort of calm, placating way that Steve always did. Those two were perfect for each other, and he was glad his friend had finally found someone he could be happy with.

“I'm sure that Fury wouldn't have slotted this mission if it wasn't important, Tea. You know he never does anything that isn't absolutely necessary when it comes to assigning people to go out on missions together.” The raven haired woman said as she offered a warm smile at her friend, both of them still oblivious to the Winter Soldier's entrance into the room.

“Seems like a pretty poor judge of mission partners to me.” Teagan griped as she landed a few more hits on the bag before she felt that tingle at the back of her neck.

The one that she always had when someone was watching her, that sixth sense kicking in as she stood straight and turned around to see who it was. Bucky straightened up a little when their eyes met, trying to choose his words carefully so he didn't make her any angrier than she already was.

“Spying on me now, Barnes? What, looking for a weak spot so you can finish the job this time?” Her voice was laced with venom, but that wasn't the only thing he heard, it never was though.

He knew she was hurt at the loss of friends he'd caused, innocent lives that he'd helped to take, it wasn't all just about her own life. And he'd had to come to terms with that once he'd met her at the tower the first time, it was also the reason he couldn't hold any of her actions against her. If he had been in her position, he was sure he would have felt the same way she did.

“I'm not spying, just came to talk to you. That's all.” He said calmly as he stayed where he was, not making a move toward her because he knew better.

Anna stepped closer to the younger woman, putting a hand on her shoulder, “Tea, you two really should talk before this mission. I know you're more than capable, but you can't go out there like this.”

Bucky marveled at how much like Steve she sounded, reminding him again as to why those two were the absolute perfect match. Even though she didn't have any powers or abilities as far as being in the field went, she was one of the best in the computer science division. On a good day, she could rival Tony and Natasha if she really wanted to, and she was one of the most valuable people back here when the Avengers were on a mission.

“There's nothing you have to say that I want to hear, and the only reason I am going on this mission is because it is a direct order that I can't disobey.” Teagan finally commented as she pulled off the tape around her hands and tossed it in the trash as she watched him from where she stood.

Shifting a little, his blue eyes stayed locked with her green ones as he slowly started in her direction, “Out there, we're supposed to be a couple, Agent Brooks. Right now, the only thing I see in your eyes is the need to hurt me. If we go out there like this they'll out us in minutes.”

It was true of course, and he could see the way she stiffened because she knew that just as well as he knew it. He came closer still and saw the way she shifted into a stance meant for attack rather than defense. That was expected too though, and it was what he was after right now, because she couldn't go out there like this. Bucky didn't want to fight her, but maybe letting her vent some of her anger would help to settle her down enough to do the job properly.

Anna's eyes widened and she took off running to get Steve as soon as she saw the way Teagan's eyes narrowed as Bucky stepped into that personal space bubble.

It was like something in her snapped and she lunged at him, swinging her right fist hard as he sidestepped as quickly as he could. There was no one to stop her this time, and he knew she could pack a punch if he ever slipped up and she hit him. She rounded on him and he threw his arms up to block the attack, letting her do the attacking while he defended himself.

She was fast though, much faster than he had first thought, and it was hard to keep up with her because she was so much lighter than he was. But it looked like it was working, she was throwing all of her energy into attacking him, and he could see the emotions on her face not just in her eyes. Teagan caught him off guard though, slamming her foot into his lower abdomen, and he doubled over from the force of it, barely managing to get out of the way of another kick.

Holding his metal arm over his stomach, he blocked another of her punches as he took a couple steps back to try and recenter himself. Bucky could fight, but this wasn't a time where he wanted to use those kind of instincts, this wasn't about anything but her getting to vent her frustrations. The problem was that she was going all out on him and he was having a hard time not letting instinct kick in and help him out.

Since arriving at the tower, he'd been undergoing therapy, for lack of a better word. It was helping him to regain some of his former self, while at the same time working to remove the trigger words. There had been progress, but he wasn't 'fixed' completely, and this was not making it easy for him when he was clearly being attacked. Still, he gritted his teeth and held out so that she could get the emotions out of her system and hopefully put some of this behind her, at least long enough for the mission. Even knowing that, this rage of hers now was a big problem that was only getting bigger.

Or at least, it was a problem until Steve seemed to appear out of nowhere, grabbing her around the waist and hauling her back, “Teagan, stop!”

Bucky stayed defensive as Steve held her back and she struggled to get out of his iron grip, the look on her face finally making the Winter Soldier break eye contact with her. It wasn't the first time someone had looked at him like that, but it was the first time it had hurt that much. Steve's face was a firm mask as he held her tighter, readjusting his arms so that hers were pinned to her sides and he could hold her against his chest.

That seemed to be the breaking point as she buried her face against Steve's chest, her hands gripping his shirt at his sides as she tried desperately to cover the sound of her sobs. It was the first time she'd cried since the incident, and Bucky knew it was because Steve had told him how she'd only bottled it all inside. She held onto it and refused to mourn, which was one reason her anger at him had been so out of control.

“It's okay, Tea, I've got you. You're okay, sweetheart.” Steve murmured as he rested his cheek against the top of her head, letting her hide herself against him because he knew she needed it.

Anna darted back into the training room right then too and came to a stop, looking at Teagan and Steve before turning her gaze to Bucky. Once she was sure that he was okay, she looked back at the other two as the younger woman's shoulders trembled silently.

Doing all of this right before a mission wasn't the greatest of ideas, but Bucky knew it was the only thing that would get them through it alive. They couldn't have worked together if she had gone in with the overwhelming desire to kill him the second she got a chance. Steve seemed to realize that too as he met Bucky's eyes and nodded his thanks.

Smiling lightly, Bucky turned and left the training room, figuring it would be best if he wasn't there when she turned around again. Right now she needed her friends with her, not the man she focused all of her anger and rage on for what happened. He hoped that she would be able to relax a little more after this, to focus on their mission and somehow get through it and do their job.

Part of him was bothered though, that she seemed to hate him when everyone else had appeared to come to terms with his presence. Even Tony had relaxed some around him, not completely, but he wasn't hostile like Teagan was. He liked her as a person, and as a team member, though he knew that was likely why he was so bothered by her feelings toward him.

Shaking his head to clear those thoughts away, he took the elevator up to the floor he shared with her and Steve, intending to go and pack his things for the mission. Though he was sure that his usual things wouldn't suffice for everything, and half expected to find new clothes waiting on his bed when he returned.

 

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

 

Bucky passed the time by getting his things together, grudgingly packing the clothes he had indeed found in his room when he got back. He'd have been happier to wear his own jeans and t-shirts, but he brushed it off because he knew this was for the sake of the mission. The new ones were somewhat tighter than what he preferred, but they did fit him well and he could still move easily enough in them. His shirts were a different story, most of them button downs that would have to be tucked in to look nice, as he suspected was the point.

It almost reminded him of being back in Brooklyn with Steve before the war, back when he'd just been Bucky and everything had been great. Looking down at his left arm, he shifted a little beside the car where he was waiting for Teagan to arrive, unnerved at the sight of the flesh there there. Well, it wasn't really, it was just a mesh that they'd designed for his arm so that once it was on, his arm looked perfectly normal. He'd heard that Natasha had used the same stuff to pose as one of the SHIELD council members, but he didn't like thinking about that time.

He'd done so much wrong that the guilt nearly choked him sometimes, and even though he was doing all he could to atone for some small part of it, he'd never be free of what he did. Wrenching his gaze away from his arm, he shifted and leaned his hip against the side of the car, lifting his gaze when the click of heels drew his attention.

Teagan was walking toward him and Bucky felt like he'd been gut punched. He'd seen her in uniform, in work out gear and sometimes in her pajamas. This was different though, the pale blue dress she was wearing was hugging every curve from her shoulders all the way down to the middle of her thighs. It left nearly all of her long legs bare to his sight and he couldn't come to terms with this completely new woman he was looking at.

She'd always been pretty in his mind, but to see her dressed like this with her auburn hair down and a light bit of make-up only enhancing her features? If he'd said he wasn't attracted to her it would have been a lie; no matter what he'd been through he was still very much a man. A man who enjoyed women, or at least he'd enjoyed them before the accident that changed his life. Since then, he couldn't remember having been with a woman, that hadn't been something his training had allowed.

That was all in the past now though, he was his own man now, and seeing his partner like this was nudging those primal urges deep inside him. Swallowing down the urge to whistle at her as he might have done in the past, he settled for keeping his mouth closed for the moment as it was safer that way. Bucky pushed away from the car to reach out and open the back door for her to put her things in. Of course, he wanted to take the bags from her and put them in himself but he knew she wouldn't stand for that for even a second.

Teagan gazed at him as she slowed her steps, but came up beside him to put her things into the back of the car next to his. She'd spend the better part of half an hour bawling into Steve's chest while he and Anna had done their best to soothe her. It had been highly embarrassing, but once she'd gotten herself together again, she had felt a lot better to have gotten a lot of that out of her system. That didn't mean that Bucky was forgiven though, but she wasn't feeling quite as hostile toward him now that she'd vented a little.

When she stepped out of the way, he closed the door and leaned forward to reach out and open the passenger side door for her, “I'm ready to go if you are.”

Their eyes met for a long moment before she nodded and turned to get into the car, “Yeah, I'm ready.”

Well that was a start at least, and Bucky offered her a soft smile as he waited for her to get in before closing her door and walking around to the driver's side. He'd wondered if she would argue over who drove, but was now pleasantly surprised that she wasn't trying to fight him on it. Sliding into the driver's seat, he started the car and smoothly shifted into gear as the garage door opened and he pulled out.

They were borrowing one of Tony's cars, and the billionaire had given him a ten minute lecture on not letting anything happen to that car. It had crossed Bucky's mind to tell him he'd just take a different car, but Anna had been there to smack Tony and shut him up about the car. And to be honest, the Brooklyn native couldn't understand what was so special about this car in the first place. It certainly wouldn't have been his first choice if he were to pick out a car, but he wasn't a billionaire either.

Glancing over at Teagan when they were out on the road, he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, well aware of the growing tension in the car. He didn't want to upset her again, but this was awkward for him because the two of them had never been alone together like this before. And they were about to spend a hell of a lot more time alone together, in much more intimate settings than riding in a car together.

“Have you been on many missions like this before, Agent Brooks?” Bucky finally asked, figuring that would be a somewhat safe topic of conversation to have with her since it was about work.

From the corner of his eye, he saw her turn her head to look at him for a few seconds before she looked away again, “This is my ninth like this. Why?”

Shaking his head a little, he made a slight gesture with his hand, “I didn't mean anything by it, I was just wondering if you had anything you could teach me about these missions.”

He could hear her scoff as she shifted in her seat, and he thought that the conversation was about to end, as it usually did when she made that sound. Though she surprised him quite a bit when she turned to look at him again, “There isn't anything to teach, you just pretend to be in love with me and identify our targets. We gather information and then when it's time, Steve will lead the team in and we'll arrest them.”

Bucky took a quick glance at her when she said he'd need to pretend to be in love with her, of course he already knew that from the mission briefing. But to hear it come out of her mouth was quite the shock, even more so because she was actually going through with this. He was sure that she could have gotten out of being his partner if she'd really wanted to, and yet here she sat with him.

“Pretending to be lovers...hard to believe Steve really went on these kinds of missions with anyone.” He said after a minute or so, not really able to picture his best friend being intimate with a woman he wasn't dating. And he was sure that Teagan and Steve had kissed, had probably touched each other in ways that were meant to look far more intimate than they really were.

“He didn't like the idea of Tony going with me, so he volunteered.” She commented back to him, far more easily than either of them had expected.

Looking away from him again, she refocused her attention on the road in front of them, trying to draw back into herself again. And he knew that was what she was doing, though it was something he didn't want her to do when she had just been speaking civilly to him.

“So he did it to protect you from Stark, that does sound like Stevie.” He said with a light laugh, because it was so much like his friend to do anything he could to protect a woman. Though he knew that the billionaire wouldn't have ever really done anything to Teagan, it was abundantly clear that he was in love with Pepper. But he could understand Steve's refusal to let Tony go with the young woman, given his reputation as a playboy and all.

Bucky could feel her eyes on him and he glanced over at her, confused as to why she was looking at him in mild shock right now. Though as soon as their eyes met, she wiped the expression off of her face and instantly slammed that wall back down around herself again.

Sighing a little, he shook his head before he spoke, “You can't close me out like that, not if we're going to go through with this mission. There's still time if you want to back out, just tell me now and I'll take you back to the tower.”

He could see her frowning beside him, wringing her hands together either in nervousness or agitation, though he wasn't sure which one. It was a good sign though, at least she'd hadn't punched him, or anything else violent. Honestly, he'd expected it the second the words were out of his mouth, so he was pleased that she wasn't instantly resorting to violence with him now. That didn't mean he would lower his guard, not with her at least, because he knew those wounds were still there and they ran deep.

“No. This is my mission and I'll see it through. I can act my part when I need to, I've done this enough times before.” Teagan replied firmly, turning those piercing eyes back to him as she made herself abundantly clear, leaving him little room for argument.

And Bucky didn't dare try and argue it, it would only make things worse between them again so he only gave a slight nod of his head, “Okay, that's all I needed to know.”

Turning his gaze back over to her, he gave her a soft smile before refocusing his attention on the road as he took the ramp to the airport. Sure, it would have been much faster to take one of the quinjets, but that would also blow their cover all to hell and back. So they would be taking a normal plane like everyone else did when they went on vacation.

Pulling into a parking space, he shifted into park and cut the engine before opening the door and getting out, closing it behind him as he walked around the side of the car. He opened her door and held out his hand, again surprised when she smiled at him and took his hand, helping her out of the car. Of course she was smiling at him, they were in a very public place and the mission had started as soon as he set foot out of that car.

Bucky softened his gaze and returned her smile, closing the door as he brought her to his side so he could open the rear door and get their bags. This time, she didn't stop him from getting hers out, draping one of them over his shoulders and sitting the other down beside her. He swung his over the same shoulder as hers and then looked back at her, swallowing thickly when she nestled herself under his left arm, pressed up against his side with her arm around his waist.

Their eyes met and he very carefully curled his metal arm around her shoulders, walking with her toward the entrance of the airport. Without a doubt this was going to be the longest mission of his life, because he didn't know how long he could handle seeing her look at him like that. How long he could stand to have her touching him in a way he'd not been touched in more than seventy years.

Yeah, either the mission would kill him, or Teagan most certainly would.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

Bucky was resting his eyes when the plane touched down at the Cabo San Lucas International airport, jarring the woman sleeping at his side. She'd been perusing magazines on her tablet for the first part of the flight, acting the part of the well off socialite her cover called for. He'd been able to tell that she was bored out of her mind though, and had zero interest in the things she talked to him about from time to time. No one else would have caught it he was sure, but he'd spent months around her at the tower, and he'd picked up on her personality enough to notice the little things.

She'd finally lost the battle of boredom somewhere between wine tasting and shopping, and her head had dropped against his shoulder. It had startled him when it had happened, he'd been off in his own mind running over the mission details and the layout of the villa they were staying in. Then her head had landed on his shoulder, shattering his thoughts as he turned to look at her where she sat, slumped against him.

It had looked like an ungodly position, and he'd debated with himself for a long couple of minutes before he shifted and reached over to her. Carefully as he could, he raised up the arm rest between them and turned so he could lift his right arm and bring her in against his side. Her head seemed to be at a better angle now where it rested on his shoulder, and he was thankful that she hadn't woken up. Part of him had been ready to get the shit beaten out of him for touching her without permission.

Now though, he was watching her green eyes dart around in confusion as she sat up straight and took stock of her surroundings. Their eyes met and he flashed her a gentle smile that seemed to catch her off guard completely before realization dawned in those pretty eyes of hers. She returned his smile and it was Bucky's turn to be caught off guard again it seemed.

That smile of hers, when she turned it on him like that, had the power to make his breath catch and his knees feel weak at the sight of her. He was going to have to find a way to steel himself against it while they were on this mission, if that was even possible. Attraction was a hard thing to control, but Bucky knew she'd sooner kill him than let him get close to her. So he was going to do his best to reign in these feelings he had toward her before he gave her a good enough reason to shoot him.

Rising up from his seat, he stepped back to let her out into the aisle in front of him as she too stood up and then slipped by him. Swiping his tongue over his bottom lip, he drew in a breath and followed her off of the plane, falling into step at her side once they were able to walk side by side through the terminal.

As expected, she came back to his side and he lifted his left arm to let her take her place there at his side before his arm settled around her shoulders again. She seemed to fit perfectly against him as her arm curled around his waist as they walked through the entryway that led into the airport proper.

Bucky steered them over to the baggage claim, coming to a stop with the rest of the people standing there waiting on their bags. She seemed to change then, turning toward him fully as she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders, pressing their bodies together firmly. His blue eyes locked with her green ones as he brought his arms up to wrap around her, searching for any clue as to what the heck she was doing.

“What's wrong, doll?” He murmured as he held her gaze, hoping she might be willing enough to clue him in before his mind went blank from all of this.

Oh sure, he'd expected they would have to hug, kiss, maybe shed some clothes together, but he hadn't been prepared for this so soon. Then again, he knew he probably should have been prepared for this, it was just hard when he'd never been this close to her before.

Teagan leaned in, brushing those full, pink lips against his jaw and Bucky sucked in a quick breath at the feeling that shot through him. She nuzzled against his ear and he clenched his teeth as she turned to kiss the spot just beneath his ear. The woman was going to drive him to insanity if she kept touching him like this, especially while they were out in public together.

“Two of our targets are watching us, your four o'clock. I don't think they're suspicious yet, and we're going to make sure they aren't. Kiss me, Barnes.” She whispered against his ear, turned so that no one could read her lips while she did.

Bucky turned his head as she leaned back, their eyes meeting again as her left hand lifted up to cup the right side of his face. The diamond ring on her finger shimmered in the light and she drew her bottom lip between her teeth in a way that absolutely ruined him. Without even thinking about it, his right hand lifted into her silky hair as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

It was so perfect, feeling the warmth of her soft lips beneath his own, so pliant and willing to accept his kiss that he almost couldn't believe it. This was Teagan he was kissing for crying out loud, the woman who had been trying to beat the shit out of him just a few hours ago. But now she was pressed against him, her mouth yielding to his as her fingers slid into his hair, clutching at it as she kissed him back.

God only knew how Steve had survived missions with his woman like this. Maybe he was just a better man, because Bucky was having a hell of a time not feeling her up and kissing her the way he'd wanted to for the last couple of months.

Oh sue him, of course he'd thought about it more times than he could count. She was young, beautiful, and a strong kind of woman who didn't need to be taken care of by a man because she could do it herself. It was intoxicating to say the least, seeing a woman like that when he'd come from a time when women had been softer. Not weak by any means, but none of them could hold a candle to the woman in his arms, and it was that strength that made him crazy for her.

Teagan wasn't much better off though, her heart skipping a beat the second Bucky's lips pressed against hers, even though she'd been ready for it. His lips were softer than she'd thought, fitting perfectly against her own and making a complete mockery of the resolve she had to keep hating him. The taste of his kiss was damn near intoxicating to her too, sweet but so masculine that it made her light headed. She gripped his hair a little tighter as his tongue slid over hers, probably short circuiting something in her brain at this point.

The kiss was also a lot different than she'd thought it would be, she'd thought it was going to be mediocre at best, but it was infinitely better. He kissed with an intensity that had her marveling over just how good at this he really was, and then getting angry with herself for thinking that. No matter the mission, he was still her enemy and she hated that she'd liked this kiss with him.

Slowly, she leaned back enough to break the kiss, opening her eyes to see him gazing down at her with an intensity that shook her to her core. Rather than thinking about it any further, she plastered a goofy smile on her face and turned back toward the baggage claim.

“There's our stuff, baby.” She said happily as she pointed toward their things to alert him to them as she lifted hers from off the belt and waited for him to do the same.

He'd never admit what hearing her call him that did to him, not even under torture would he say anything about that or she'd probably kill him. Well, who was he kidding, she was going to have a hell of a lot of things to kill him for before this mission was over. That is, if they even survived the mission in the first place, and he was seriously questioning that now more than ever.

 

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

 

Teagan finally relaxed a little once she stepped through the door of the villa that Tony had rented out for them, smug in the knowledge that this cost him a pretty penny for sure. It was absolutely breathtaking though, the view was so perfect and it was out of the main thoroughfare of the town. Sitting above it so that they could look out over the town and the ocean beyond it.

The place was easily big enough for nearly the whole team to stay and have their own rooms, but it would just be her and Bucky here. Alone. God help her.

She'd already been told they were to stay together here, no going off to separate rooms, just in case someone started watching them. Which she was positive of already, those men at the airport had known someone was going to show up, they just didn't know who. So she was going to go with the same plan she and Steve had used back in Vienna a while back, stay closer than close to each other.

Though this was going to be significantly harder because it was Bucky she was going to have to get close to. If they made it though this, she was going to beat the absolute crap out of Tony for making her have to endure this. Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she wandered through the villa to the stairs that led up. Climbing them to the second floor and walked with determination toward that giant bedroom she'd seen on the floor plans of the building.

Bucky was on her heels as she walked, thankfully being quiet for the moment, which was more than fine with her for the time being. His blue eyes took in the opulence around them and shook his head a little, this was absolutely unnecessary really. He and Teagan could do a much better job being completely invisible and just taking out their targets when they made themselves available. But this wasn't his call to make, and Steve had stressed to him that this was a skill he needed to learn, how to go undercover instead of just being a ghost.

Blue eyes drifted back to the woman in front of him as she stepped into the master bedroom and he followed her inside, pausing just inside the door in a bit of awe. The giant glass window and door combination made him uneasy as hell as he looked at it. They could be killed so easily because they were out in the open, and that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Glancing back to her, he was a little surprised to see how relaxed she seemed to be as she put her bags on the massive bed and unzipped them to start unpacking.

She looked his way and their eyes met, one of her eyebrows quirking upward as if to ask him what the heck he was doing still standing there. It was enough to get him to cross the room and put his things down on the bed as well, following her example and unzipping them to start unpacking. A beep came from her wrist and she glanced down at the smartwatch on her wrist for a few seconds before starting to take things out of her bag.

“The place isn't bugged, so we can talk as long as we don't face windows when we talk about the mission. Tony programmed the watch to link me back to FRIDAY so she can keep an eye on the place and let us know if any taps show up.” Teagan explained as she methodically pulled out her clothes and put them in neat stacks according to what they were.

This definitely wasn't her first undercover mission, and he'd known it wasn't, but he hadn't really expected her to be quite so efficient. It also added a whole new layer of respect for the woman that he was more and more certain was going to be the death of him.

“Got a nice view, not a lot of privacy though. That doesn't bother you, does it doll?” Bucky asked as he started putting his clothes away in the dresser.

A smirk pulled at her lips as she slipped by him to put some of her own things in the dresser, his gaze flicking down to the clothes in her hands. He wished he hadn't though, as he was met by the sight of those silk and lace numbers that Tony had said he'd bought for her. God help him if she wore that stuff around him, he didn't know what he was going to do with himself.

Sure he was a trained soldier, and he could hold his own in most situations, but it had been decades since he'd been with a woman. The last thing he needed was to see an already attractive woman wandering around in something so sinful. Especially this woman, because Bucky knew there was only so much control he could keep himself under before he'd snap.

She didn't appear to notice his look though, as she put her things into the dresser and bumped the drawer closed with her hip, “Doesn't bother me at all, I'm not exactly the modest type.”

He nearly choked on the breath he took in, leveling his steel blue gaze on her as he wet his lips a little, “That's not a very ladylike thing to say, you know.”

At that, she laughed as she slipped her clothes onto hangers and shook her head at his comment, “Who said anything about me being ladylike, Chris?”

Her emerald gaze lifted up to meet his and he tried to decipher the look he saw there, but it was gone before he could put a name to it. This woman was so confusing now that he was alone with her, and he couldn't tell how much of it was an act and how much was real. He was starting to think it was safer when all she wanted to do was kill him, at least then he knew what to expect out of her.

This was a whole new game they were playing, one where he couldn't decipher her words, or her looks no matter how hard he tried. Maybe he should have turned down this mission after all, but he'd wanted to prove that he could do the job and be of use to them. To be able to do something to atone for all the bad things he'd done while he'd been under Hydra's control.

“Take a picture, it'll last longer you know.” She sassed, breaking him out of his thoughts only to realize he'd been staring at her for quite a while now.

Jerking his gaze away from her, he turned to put more of his clothes up, willing himself not to blush at having been caught like that. It really wasn't like him to zone out like this, and he blamed it all on the fact that it was Teagan he was with right now. She'd brought out so many feelings in him since the first time they'd really met each other outside of battle.

Oh sure it had been a nasty meeting, but he could still remember the exact moment he laid eyes on her as Bucky, not as the Winter Soldier.

The way she'd been laughing as she came down a flight of stairs beside Clint, her smile so bright that Bucky had felt his chest tighten. She hadn't seen him at first, her focus on the Asgardian prince who had come in through the side door of the compound. He'd seen the way she had beamed at Thor, rushing forward to clasp hands and half hug the mountain of a man before he'd stepped aside to reveal the smaller man behind him. Loki, as Steve had told him, and he had seen the way her eyes had studied the man carefully as they looked at each other.

But then she'd softened a bit and had clasped the man in a light hug that made him recoil in near horror as Thor burst into laughter. She'd started laughing too then, winking at the ruffled god before she turned toward Steve to say something. That was when she'd set those beautiful green eyes on him and that smile had faded instantly, replaced with an anger so strong it made him tense up.

Since then, she'd been nothing but hostile toward him, until they had met up in the parking lot to leave for this mission that is. Now he wasn't sure how to act with her when they were alone, because he didn't want to upset her all over again and lose this new openness they had between them. Even if half of it was an act, he still wanted to have this, maybe even get her to open up to him even more.

“Very funny, doll. So what do you want to do now that we're here?” He finally asked as he finished putting things in the dresser, turning to start putting his other clothes on hangers like she had done.

Lifting the stack of clothes on hangers, Teagan walked by him into the closet, hanging them up to one side, leaving the other for him. When she turned back around, she looked at him as she walked back over and then sat down on the foot of the bed, leaning back on her hands a little.

“Considering the time, I think dinner is a good start. Then we can relax before bed.” Teagan suggested as she watched him as she sat there.

Bucky nodded and lifted his clothes up, stepping into the closet to hang them beside hers a little awkwardly. He'd really never thought about how something so small could be so intimate, but sharing a closet was definitely a new one on him. Pushing that thought from his mind, he came back out and lifted up their bags, taking them and storing them away on the top shelf of the closet.

She was waiting for him when he came back out, a slight incline of her head telling him to follow her as she left the bedroom and started back through the villa. They'd already found two of their targets, thanks to her keen eye at the airport, and he'd recognized them once he'd finally caught sight of them. Without a doubt they were Hydra, he could remember seeing them multiple times, and it had made him go cold at the thought that they might try and take him if they found out he was there.

That was part of the risk of this operation, that they would realize it was him and then use the words to reactivate the Winter Soldier. He hadn't managed to break free of all of them, and didn't want to find out what would happen if they were used on him now. It was a high risk thing, especially with Teagan there with him where she'd be vulnerable if something happened to him. But she'd been warned of the dangers of the mission by both Fury and Steve. That she'd still taken it on made Bucky feel that swell of respect he had for her that just kept growing a little more each day.

Because even though she didn't like him, she'd stepped up to do her job even though it could very well mean her death at his hands.

He brushed those thoughts aside when they came into the dining room, staying silent as the villa staff sat out their dinner and then excused themselves. Teagan thanked them with a bright smile before she slid down into one of the chairs and crossed her legs almost in the same movement. Dragging his eyes away from aforementioned legs, he sat down across from her and started to eat. Breakfast was a thing of the past, and he'd not eaten since then.

Teagan was doing the same, and he glanced at her a few times while they ate in silence before she finally caught him looking at her. She took a sip of the wine that had been served with their dinner before propping her chin on her hand, “There aren't any windows, you can talk.”

Bucky paused in his eating, lowering his fork back down to the plate as his eyes locked with hers, “You're not usually one to sit and talk with me, Agent Brooks.”

It was careful, not wanting to upset her by calling her anything else, because the last thing they needed was to end up fighting out here. She seemed to take it well enough though as she shrugged a little and then took another sip from her glass.

“Yeah well, Steve had a little come to Jesus meeting with me before we left. Said I should learn to put aside the past and at least be civil to you.” Came her reply as she held his gaze, idly swirling the red liquid around in the wineglass she held between her fingers.

He considered those words for a moment before leaning back in his chair, “I'd like it if you would. I know what I did to you, to the people you care about, and I can't change that. But for what it's worth, I am sorry for what I did. There's a lot I've got to live with, and it's all on me.”

Teagan shifted in her chair, her eyes darkening as she sat the glass down, “You're damn right you're going to live with it after what you did to them. I can't blame it all on you though, Hydra is responsible for part of it too.”

The nod to her came as soon as she said that, he knew they were as much to blame as he was, and he wouldn't deny any of it. Even if he'd been under their control at the time, it had still been his hands that so many people had been killed. That was part of the fuel of his nightmares, remembering the lives he'd taken and the lasting pain he'd caused so many people.

“Even so...this is my job and you're the one they put with me to get it done. I don't have to like it, but until this mission is over, you're my partner, Barnes.” She said firmly, those green eyes showing the honesty of her words, but also how hard it was for her to say them.

Bucky felt a new spark of attraction to her right then, seeing the way she put her personal feelings aside as much as she could just so she could do this the right way. It couldn't be easy for her and he knew that, having to be so close to him even though he was the one who had nearly killed her. The one who had killed her friends. He was glad now that he'd pushed enough to get her to snap in the gym back at the compound. Not just for the sake of the mission, but because it was clear that she'd needed to get some of that anger out before it consumed her.

“You can trust me, I'll have your back no matter what happens out here.” He said back to her with just as much conviction in his voice as she'd had in hers when she'd made her own declaration.

Teagan raised an eyebrow at him as she swiped her wine glass and emptied the last of it before she spoke, “Don't get ahead of yourself, I said I was your partner, not that I trusted you. This is just a temporary pause on my kicking your ass for what you did.”

He raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, torn between laughing and just staring at her in disbelief. There wasn't a time since being in Brooklyn with Steve that he'd been threatened like that, though that wasn't surprising, this was Teagan after all.

“Alright, Agent Brooks, a temporary truce then.” Bucky said back to her, offering it as a suggestion rather than a statement.

She nodded her agreement and then went back to her food, leaving him a little awed by her, and more than a little amused. This was definitely going to be the longest mission of his life with this woman, who just kept surprising the hell out of him at every turn.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

Trying to go to sleep the night before had been nearly impossible for Bucky when he'd finally slid into bed beside Teagan. It was plenty big enough that they weren't touching as they lay there, but he could feel the heat of her body at his back all the same. He hadn't dared to come into that bedroom until he'd been absolutely sure she was already in bed. Even then he'd been hesitant as he came into the room quietly, his bare feet making little sound on the floor. For a few minutes he'd even considered sleeping in his day clothes, before shaking the thought and sliding on the lounge pants and t-shirt he assumed were meant to sleep in.

His next problem came with that giant glass wall that offered absolutely zero protection from any threat that might come their way. It baffled him how easily Teagan had managed to fall asleep there beside him, as though she didn't have a care in the world. Though he had to remind himself that even though she was trained, she hadn't been trained the way that he had. Weaknesses were not tolerated, whether they were in him or in the places he chose to lay low.

It was only the sound of the change in her breathing that drew him out of his own mind as he'd been trying to coax himself to sleep. That quick intake of breath, the violent tremble of her body that he knew all too well from his own experiences. Bucky turned onto his other side so he was facing her, taking in the sight of her trembling in her sleep, soft whimpers coming from her that he couldn't quite make out.

Frowning at the distress he could see and hear coming from his partner, he reached out cautiously to touch her shoulder. His lips parted to say her name, but before he could say anything Teagan cried out and Bucky didn't hesitate anymore. He pulled her to him, cradling her head against his chest as she trembled, her hands gripping at his shirt as though letting go of him might mean her death. It hurt to see someone else going through what he went through in his own sleep, even though he didn't know what horrors she was reliving right now.

Not that it mattered though, he tucked her in against his chest and pillowed her head against his right arm as he curled his left one around her as carefully as possible. Her whimpers and murmurs were muffled against his chest as he held her, stroking her back as he rested his head against hers. It took her a couple of minutes to calm down, but once she had her breathing evened out and she all but melted in against him.

Stilling his hand, Bucky shifted and turned onto his back, letting her stay there against him, but moving so that his metal arm wouldn't rest too much weight on her. She didn't seem to have woken up through any of it, and he was a little bit glad for that fact as he was sure she would not have been pleased to find him holding her like that. Glancing back over at her against his side, he rested his left arm against his stomach and let the warmth of her body lull him to sleep.

It was such a peaceful thing that he didn't realize he'd been missing, the feel of another human being there beside him. That warmth that only came from contact with another person, something to chase away the memories of the cryo tube he'd been in more often than not. And it was the first time in a long time where he'd been able to sleep without waking up screaming, lashing out because the dreams were too real. The memories still too fresh in his fragile mind.

 

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

 

When he woke up again, Bucky glanced around the room but didn't see any sign of his partner, and the bed was cool enough beside him that he knew she'd been gone for a while. He wondered if she'd woken up still curled in against him or if she'd moved away during the night. It was probably for the best that they hadn't woken up at the same time, due to the fact that he couldn't see her taking well to the fact that they had been so close.

There was no use wondering about it though, and he pushed the sheets back and swung his legs over the side of the bed before getting up and stretching a little. After a trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth and such, he left the bedroom in search of Teagan to see what the plan was for the day. As he neared the stairs, he could hear her talking about their arrival, most likely giving a mission status report.

Following the sound of her voice, he found her in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in one hand and her tablet in the other, “There were two that I recognized at the airport when we got there, but I dont think they figured out who we were. If there were more, I didn't catch sigh of them. They were definitely checking out the new arrivals though, Steve.”

Bucky was quiet as he came into the room with her, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before she focused her attention back on the tablet she was holding, “Do you think they know we're hunting them down, Tea?”

The sound of his friend's voice sounded concerned to Bucky, and it was with good reason really, they were here to apprehend Hydra after all. It wouldn't be impossible that they were expecting some of the Avengers team, and probably hoping that he would be with them. That was what worried him more than anything, that they would say the words and bring out the soldier.

“I don't know what they do or don't know, but we can't discount the possibility that they know we're making a move here. We're going to have to play this one carefully though, if they realize who either of us are, we're going to have trouble.” She stated as her gaze drifted back to Bucky as he fixed his own cup of coffee and then came to stand across from her at the counter.

“I know, and I know it's going to be dangerous for both of you. Promise me you'll be careful on this one, because I can't be there to pull you out if something goes wrong this time, Tea.” Steve said quietly, regretting that he was stuck back at the compound while two of his best friends were in a very dangerous situation.

Giving him a mock salute, she smiled to try and reassure him a little, “It's fine, Steve. I've been doing this long enough to know to be careful. Besides, didn't you guys specifically send Barnes to be the muscle if things got too scary for me?”

That was what they'd said, but she knew they sent him because he could identify some of the people that they didn't have files on yet. Maybe not all of them because of the wipes done on his mind, but he might be able to give them some of them at least. But it was also dangerous as hell for him to be there with her, without all of those words out of his mind, he could easily be turned against her; against all of them.

Teagan was well aware of that fact, and it left a cold knot of fear in her stomach because she knew how ruthless he could be. After all, the soldier had almost killed her with a single hit, and the chances of his failing a second time were not likely.

“Yeah...I know that, but you're my friends and I still worry about you two. How is Bucky anyway?” Came Steve's voice again, breaking Teagan out of her thoughts before she turned the tablet around and held it out toward Bucky.

Blue eyes met green and he reached out, taking it from her with a slight nod of his head before his eyes drifted to the screen to see Steve smile at him, “Hey Punk, you can stop worrying, I'm fine.”

Laughing at that, the blond shook his head a little, “It's you, Jerk, I'm always going to worry. Look, I know we talked about this before you left, but if it gets to be too much then you tell Tea and we'll get you both out, okay?”

The worry was clear in those blue eyes, not just that Hydra could reactivate him, but that something could happen to the two of them. Bucky knew it was a dangerous game they were playing, and he also knew just how much Teagan meant to Steve. There was absolutely no doubt that she'd become family to him, and that meant he'd do anything he could to make sure she was safe. It was the same thing Steve did for him.

“I'll let her know if I need to get out, I made a promise, Stevie.” He said with an almost boyish smile at his best friend, being reminded again just how much of a worrier that Steve Rogers could be.

“Alright, you two check in again soon, and be safe.” Steve said back with a smile before ending the video call and plunging the kitchen into silence.

Finishing the cup of coffee she'd been nursing, Teagan met Bucky's eyes as he looked up at her the same time she looked at him. Standing a little straighter, she turned to the sink and rinsed out the cup before sitting it off to one side to dry, “It's still early, so I'm going to get in some time in the gym before we go out for the day.”

Turning around, she went toward one of the side doors of the kitchen, pausing halfway through before looking back at him, “Your breakfast is in the refrigerator, if you want it.”

Bucky watched her as she left the room after saying that, quite literally shocking him with the fact that she'd even bothered to make him anything. They were trying to be civil to each other of course, but he wasn't sure what to make of this particular development. He was thankful though, walking over and opening the refrigerator to take out the plate that was obviously his. It was piled rather high, and he knew instantly that she'd rightly assumed his metabolism was similar to Steve's.

He was going to have to tell Steve about this one later though, as neither of them had ever thought she could really be that nice to him. For now though, he sat down and started eating as he helped himself to the use of her tablet to look into the places of interest she'd found while on the plane. It was going to bore them both to death he was sure, wine tastings, popular shopping places, a spa...no way in hell was he going there. The mesh attachment over his metal arm only made it look like real flesh, if anyone touched it, the game was up right there.

And he wasn't sure he wanted to go to a spa anyway, the thought of some strange person touching him while he was stripped bare wasn't exactly relaxing. Shaking his head, he took a drink of his coffee and looked back at the list of places, still pleasantly surprised that she'd been so thorough. Finding the Hydra agents wasn't going to be easy, unless he recognized them, but there was a chance he wouldn't remember them. Or an even bigger chance that he'd never met them before this, but he was going to try. The more Hydra agents they took out, the safer the world was for a little longer anyway.

Powering down the tablet, he stood up and took his plate to the sink to wash and rinse it so that Teagan wouldn't have to do it. It was the least he could do after she'd been nice enough to even put it aside for him, something that still brought a bit of a smile to his lips. There was no question that it was the first nice thing she'd done for him since they had met each other.

Rinsing his coffee cup out as well, he turned and walked out of the kitchen to follow her pathway toward the gym where he could hear the rhythmic footfalls that came with jogging. He paused there in the doorway to just watch her as she moved, completely oblivious to his presence for the moment. She was always in the gym at the compound, every morning without fail, and he could appreciate that for what it was. The need for the routine first of all, and in her case he knew she was trying to make herself stronger, to feel like she had a place there with the rest of them.

Steve had told him about her enhanced strength, how she was stronger than the average human woman, but she lacked the follow up skills to make it useful. She'd been training with Natasha and Clint at first, to learn how to harness that strength she had, but Steve had taken over shortly after. And her progress was good, but there were still a lot of things she needed to work on before he'd be sure she would be safe without one of them around. Bucky knew that Steve was doing it because of his own experiences, strength was great but you had to know how to use that strength to be effective. Unless you were Bruce, of course.

Finally sensing him behind her, Teagan hit the stop button on the treadmill and slowed her pace until she came to a stop, turning her head to look over her shoulder at him. Shifting her position, she turned so she was facing him as she lifted up her towel and draped it around her neck as their eyes met. The silence between them was awkward though, and Bucky wasn't sure why he'd even come after her in the first place.

“Did you need something, James?” She asked as she tilted her head a little, and that was more than enough to clue him in that this wasn't a safe place to talk outside their covers.

“No, I just wanted to see your pretty face again and tell you 'thank you' for breakfast.” Bucky responded with a smile as he moved away from the doorway and walked over to where she was still standing on the treadmill.

Teagan felt her stomach flutter at the way he spoke to her and she instantly hated herself for it, she wasn't supposed to enjoy this with him of all people. But on the outside, she slipped into a smooth smile and stepped off of the treadmill to stand in front of him. They both caught the glint of something outside the window, but Teagan's eyes warned him not to react to it, not to give them away.

It took all Bucky had in him not to grab her and run for the safest place in the villa, it was just that instinct in him that told him to secure position and then fight back. Taking a slight breath, he reached out and slid his hands around her waist, dragging her up against his chest. Her eyes were a little wider, questioning what the hell he was doing, but he just leaned down and pressed their lips together.

What possessed him to do it was beyond him at that moment, but it had been the first thing that came to mind to keep him from going into combat mode. It seemed to have stunned the heck out of her too, because Teagan didn't move for a few seconds that were so tense he was sure he was about to get injured, badly. But then he felt her relax a little and kiss him back for a brief moment before she pushed away from him and slipped out of his grasp.

“Well, good morning to you too.” She shot back at him with a playful smile on her face, though it did little to cover up the look in her eyes that clearly wanted to know what the hell that was all about right there.

Their eyes stayed locked with each other for another few moments before Teagan started toward the door of the gym, “I'm going to take a shower, we can go out when I'm done.”

With that, she was gone and Bucky was left there alone wishing he'd handled that just a little bit differently that it had happened. He knew she wasn't happy over the fact that he'd just kissed her for no real reason, other than to keep his own self calm. They were just being watched most likely, with good reason though, they were pretending to be rich and had just flown into a literal bee nest of Hydra agents. Something was happening here soon, something that he knew he and Teagan had to put a stop to before people were killed or worse.

Getting intimate with his partner wasn't the best way to handle that though, and he knew he'd get an ear full from her later on. What bothered him the most was the fact that he knew he'd do it all over again if he was given the chance to. He liked her as a person, but that was nothing compared to how he felt about her as a fellow member of the Avengers.

Shaking his head at his own stupidity, and he'd admit that to anyone who asked, he turned and went back toward the stairs to go up to the bedroom. It was best not to make her wait on him when she was ready to go out and see what information they could uncover. If they were lucky, they could make this a quick mission before he did something to really make her angry with him. Because despite what Steve and Tony thought, a mission like this was not the best way to be able to make amends with someone.

Walking into the closet, he glanced back at the bathroom where he knew Teagan was, thinking it over for a few seconds before turning back to the clothes he'd hung up the day before. He chose his outfit and hesitated before stepping back out into the room and laying them on the bed, stripping out of his sleeping clothes. Though he was careful of the mesh on his left arm, not wanting to disengage it and blow everything on their first real day here.

With his sleep clothes off, Bucky pulled on a pair of jeans that felt a little tighter than he really would have liked to have been wearing. But he just shook his head and fastened them, sliding the zipper up before lifting the button down shirt up from the bed. He had his left arm in and was sliding his right in when the bathroom door opened and Teagan stepped out. Blue eyes instantly zeroed in on her and he swallowed hard at the sight she presented.

The little, and by God he meant little, white sundress she was wearing was barely long enough to reach the middle of her thighs. It wasn't a tight as the one the day before had been, but this one did things to his libido that he was ashamed to admit to. The white heels on her feet added a couple inches of height and even though he knew she'd have sore feet later, they made her legs look incredible. Swiping his tongue over his lips to wet them, he dragged his gaze up, drinking in every curve of her body that was being bared so beautifully for him.

He followed the line of fabric that held her breasts, dipping low enough to show off the tops of them in a way that should have been illegal. Breathing out slowly, he finally drew his gaze up to her face to meet those gorgeous emerald eyes that were locked on him. There was a touch of pink to her cheeks and he couldn't figure out if it was from the shower, or the fact that he was damn near devouring her with his eyes.

Teagan was in a similar state as he was though, standing there staring at him, and with good reason for that too at the moment. Seeing him in those tight jeans that stretched across his thighs, accenting the fact that this man was built like a brick wall. And God help her, his abs were the absolute most mouthwatering thing she'd seen on a man in quite a while. So sue her, she had a thing for men who had nice abs, and not counting Steve, he would definitely be at the top of the list for her. That didn't change the fact that she still held him responsible for so many things, or that she wanted to slam her fist into his handsome face.

But she wasn't blind either, and in the end she was just a woman like any other woman on the planet. A woman who just realized she'd been caught as their eyes met, only to become aware that he'd been looking at her the same way. She could see it in his eyes and it made her heartbeat increase a little as they gazed at each other for a long moment before Bucky looked away and started buttoning his shirt.

Yep, this mission was shaping up to be a study in not only patience, but also restraint.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

“Check our ten, guy's been staring over here for the last fifteen minutes.” Teagan said quietly behind the cup of espresso she was sipping on as she sat close against Bucky's side.

It was day four of their operation, and they were sticking to their routine of breakfast at the villa, then coffee out in the town before whatever their adventure was for the day. Yesterday had been shopping, and Bucky had felt like ripping his hair out from how boring the entire event had been. Though she hadn't been much better off by the time they'd gotten back to the villa that evening before dinner.

He'd been amused at how she'd griped about the fact that shopping was the worst thing on the planet, and couldn't understand why so many women loved it. Considering she had free reign of a credit card Tony had given her for her cover, it made the whole situation laughable. She had mainly stuck to buying small pieces of jewelry that could be sold back so that Tony could get his money back. Or at least, that was the reason she gave for most of the things she'd ended up buying.

She had bought some clothes that had been purchased with cash that he knew had to have been her own rather than Tony's. Not that he'd cared either way at the time, forcing his mind to run over the mission parameters in his head, along with how to disassemble and reassemble every gun he owned. Anything he could think of so that he didn't have to immerse himself in this like she was doing, or he might really have lost it.

Why couldn't women just enjoy dinner, dancing and shows anymore? He could still remember bits and pieces of his previous life in Brooklyn when all it took to make a girl happy was to take her out dancing. That was it, no shopping for hours, no spas and wine tastings, just some fun dances, maybe a stolen kiss at the end.

He'd scoffed at that when he thought of how Teagan would react to that sort of thing, she didn't seem like the type to go out dancing. Steve had said she could dance, but didn't do it unless they absolutely had to use it for a cover. Bucky had decided then that he was going to get this woman to dance no matter what it took, just so he could say he'd seen it.

That was the sort of dangerous thoughts he'd had lately that revolved around her, and he knew he was getting in too deep with her. It wasn't entirely his fault though, they were stuck together in ways that he'd not had any experience with before. Living with a woman for any length of time was a completely new concept and he was having a hard time keeping his thoughts at bay.

Just like he was having problems with right now, with her pressed up against his side, her voice breaking through his thoughts. Turning his eyes toward the man she was talking about, Bucky just watched him from behind the sunglasses he was wearing. He couldn't find anything about him that was familiar, and that wasn't surprising really when he checked the man's line of sight.

Like a handful of others over the last few days, the man's eyes were locked onto Teagan's legs in the skimpy little outfit she was wearing. And Bucky promptly lifted his gaze away from her and those tiny shorts she'd gone out in today. He'd learned quickly that he couldn't keep his eyes on her if he wanted to keep his composure and not do anything stupid.

“He isn't Hydra; he's checking you out.” Bucky commented as he took a sip of his own coffee, resisting the urge to pull her closer in a show of possessiveness.

Oh he knew that wouldn't go over well with her, but he'd been tempted on more than one occasion to do just that. It was because of those damned clothes that Tony had bought for her to wear, ones that were far too revealing to let her out of the villa while she was wearing them. But she'd seemed comfortable enough in them and he'd had to bite his tongue and let her act out her part.

At his side, Teagan made a noise of disgust and turned her attention away from her latest admirer, clearly not happy about it. Bucky couldn't blame her for not being very pleased, but he definitely understood why the man was staring. Rather than saying anything else about it, he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze that he hoped would help her settle down.

His eyes scanned the crowd again as he finished off his coffee and sat the cup down, freezing when his eyes locked onto a man across the street from them. There was no question in his mind that this was one of Hydra's agents, one that Bucky knew all too well.

The change in her partner drew Teagan's attention and her eyes glanced around to see if she could figure out where he was looking. One man stood out to her, dressed mostly in black who seemed to be staring right in their direction. It was obvious to her that Bucky knew the man, and it was likely the man knew who he was too, which meant she needed to get them out of there for now.

“Come on, baby. I'm ready to go back now.” She said with a smile as she rose from her seat and took Bucky's right hand into her own, lacing their fingers together.

Glancing up at her, he nodded and then stood with her as his eyes flicked back to the man across the street. He gripped her hand a little more tightly and tossed down a tip on the table before leading her away from the little street cafe. There was the urge to just pick her up and run like hell, but he shoved that feeling down and did his best to just act as normal as possible.

She helped just by being there with him, her palm against his a steady warmth that was more comforting than it should have been. But he could tell that she knew something was wrong, that she'd picked up on the fact that they could be in real danger now. Despite her own feelings toward him though, she was doing exactly what a good partner was supposed to do. Teagan was doing her best to get him out, protect him, and he was more than a little thankful to her for that.

 

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

 

By the time they got back to the villa, Bucky was ready to fight his way out of the country to get away from Hydra and the danger they posed. It was only because of Teagan that he was able to hold onto his common sense enough to not do anything stupid to put her in danger too. Not that he needed to do anything, just her being with him was enough to put her in some very real danger. Well, that and the fact that she was an Avenger.

Still holding hands, he closed the door behind them and breathed out slowly just as Teagan's watch made a beeping sound. She glanced down at it for a few seconds, but then looked away as she started toward the stairs that led to the second floor bedroom. Blue eyes studied her as he was pulled along with her, trying to discern what had her acting differently all of a sudden. He had a sneaking suspicion of what it was already but for the moment he stayed quiet and let her lead him to their bedroom upstairs.

Teagan slipped her shoes off once they were there, nudging them under the edge of the bed as she let go of his hand and turned to face him. A smile tugged at her lips as she took her watch off and dropped it onto the bed, quickly followed by the bracelet and necklace she was wearing. His eyes were locked on her as her hands moved to the hem of her tank top, crossing her arms and then lifting it up and off over her head.

If he didn't know her the way he did, he'd think she was absolutely losing her mind right now, but he saw that look in her eyes. The one that told him to play along and follow her lead, it was the same kind of look he'd exchanged with Steve on so many missions in the past. She'd definitely learned that from him and Bucky was glad of it as he started unbuttoning his shirt as she slipped the button free on her shorts.

God help him though, he was almost trembling as she shimmied those shorts over her hips and down her legs where they fell around her ankles on the floor. The white and pink bra and panties set she was wearing should have been ridiculous really, as he'd never seen her as the kind of woman to wear things like that. But right now, the colors were accenting her tanned skin and only helping to drive him absolutely crazy from how good she looked.

She tilted her head just slightly before she turned and walked into the bathroom, leaving Bucky to stare after her as she did. Tugging his shirt off, he tossed it on the bed and slid his shoes off, trying to remind himself that he needed to be calm right now. This wasn't her actually coming on to him, something was wrong and she obviously had an idea that she needed him to go along with. Not that his body cared much about that though, there was an attractive woman making eyes at him, of course his body was interested in that.

Taking a steadying breath, he walked into the bathroom and froze where he stood, gaping at her and the sight she presented him with. She was standing beneath the shower, water running over every inch of her bare skin, and he swore that this was going to end badly. He couldn't help the immediate reaction to seeing her like that either, but desperately trying to stop the flood of arousal that coursed through him.

Teagan stepped back and wiped the water from her face before glancing over at him from inside the shower that was half marble and half glass. She didn't seem the least bit bothered by the fact that she was naked either, but he was reminded of what she'd said the first day they'd been here.

“ _I'm not exactly the modest type.”_

And that was glaringly obvious as his blue eyes raked over her from head to toe before meeting her eyes again.

She was giving him a look that was one-part irritation at being gawped at, and one-part impatience as she clearly expected him to get in the shower with her. This was such a bad idea really, Bucky knew that it was as his hands went to his pants and he made quick work of them. He was praying to any higher being that would listen that he could just get through this without making a complete ass of himself, or worse.

Now that he was undressing more, she busied herself with starting to wash her hair while he finished undressing and stepped in behind her. The click of the door closing sounded, to Bucky, like the lock on a cell closing because he knew he was in serious trouble now. God help him but she was absolutely gorgeous, and young, and was going to kick his ass if he didn't stop staring at _hers_ like he was.

Jerking his gaze up, he swallowed hard and took a shaky breath before speaking as softly as he could, “You want to tell me why the hell we're doing this?”

She hummed in response and rinsed out her hair, prompting him to close his eyes against the sight of the soapy water sliding over her. Yep, he should have stayed back at the tower and been bored out of his mind, because there was no way he could handle much more of this. It was taking all he had to conjure up the most unappealing things he could think of to keep from becoming even more aroused than he already was.

He was so involved in that process, that he didn't realize she'd moved until her arms curled around his shoulders, pressing her bare breasts against his chest. It shocked him all the way down to his toes and his eyes snapped open to look down at her in utter confusion. She leaned up to kiss along his jaw, making a pathway up to his ear that had him trembling with the restraint it took not to take advantage of this situation.

“They planted bugs in the villa, a lot of them according to FRIDAY, cameras too. We need to contact someone, it's too dangerous to stay here much longer.” Teagan whispered against his ear as her fingers slid into his hair, gently tugging through the wet strands.

Nodding to her words, he took a breath and wrapped his arms around her slender body, but did his best not to press their lower bodies together. The last thing he needed was to get too excited with her when it was clear they were here so they could talk a little easier because of the noise of the shower. It was so hard though, she felt incredibly good against him like this, something he hadn't had in decades.

Bucky tipped his head and gently pressed open mouthed kisses against her neck, unable to completely restrain himself even though he was trying, “The sooner you contact Steve, the better, doll.”

Teagan let him do what he wanted, because if she was honest with herself about it she would admit that it felt so good to let him hold her like this. To feel the warm velvet of his lips caressing her skin as his heated breath spilled over her wet skin. Her body didn't care that this was the man who nearly killed her, who she still wanted to absolutely beat the shit out of. But at the same time, the longer they spent together like this, the more she thought that she might just want something more than to beat him to death.

“I'll make sure you get out, but I need the name of that guy at the cafe.” She said softly as he shifted to trail those kisses along the other side of her neck.

“Rollins, he was part of the STRIKE team at S.H.I.E.L.D.” Was his almost instant reply when he reached her ear, giving her a slight squeeze before he turned her around so her back was against his chest.

Holding himself in check, he handed her the body wash she favored before picking up his shampoo and getting to work on his hair. Doing anything he could to keep his hands off of her before he took things so far over the line that there wouldn't be any return from it. She seemed to get the hint too as she started to work soaping up her silky skin as he did his best not to watch her.

She made quick work of it and then rinsed herself off before she wrung her hair out and then opened the door and slipped out. Wrapping a towel around herself, she tucked it tightly and then grabbed a smaller towel to use for her hair as she cast a glance back at him just before she disappeared from the bathroom.

Breathing out slowly, he glanced down at the now very prominent erection standing proudly between his legs that he knew wasn't going away on its own. Gritting his teeth, he reached out and turned the shower knob until icy water rained down on his overheated body. He hated the cold because it reminded him of being in cryo, but it was the best way to deal with his not-so-little problem at the moment. Because he really didn't want to risk her catching him, or for it to end up on camera if there was one in the bathroom.

Once she was dressed again, Teagan took her tablet into the kitchen, checking her watch as FRIDAY scanned the villa while she made some tea. It didn't take long before the scan was done and she gave her watch another quick glance to check the information on the kitchen first. Now that she knew where they were in the kitchen, Teagan went about her business as though she wasn't aware. But she was careful to keep the tablet screen from showing in the direction of the cameras as she opened the well-hidden e-mail client.

She sent the last of her reports in on the agents they'd identified, including the last one that had been the cause for her and Bucky heading back so quickly. And once they were sent out, she opened the messaging system and sent a single, encrypted message that she marked urgent.

_Compromised. Cams and bugs. Need out._

It was short and to the point, because she couldn't risk anything else right now. Just to be safe though, she activated the wiping program that Tony had put on the tablet for her in case of something like this. She kept her cell phone on her at all times, she could still communicate with it and the team would know to contact her there.

The main problem was the fact that they had to handle this carefully, which meant the extraction wasn't going to happen with a snap of their fingers. She was running through the possibilities in her head as she walked back into their bedroom just as Bucky came out of the bathroom. Their eyes met as she slipped by him to sit down on the bed just as her phone chimed to let her know she had a message.

Picking it up from where she'd left it earlier, she checked the message, a cold knot of dread welling up inside her as she glanced up at Bucky.

_They know, plan and get out. Safe house alpha._

It was from Natasha, and Teagan was doing her best to retain her calm as she sent a quick affirmative back to her friend before deleting the messages. Looking back up at her partner, she drew in a breath as she weighed the options they had right now. Safe house alpha meant that she needed to get them to one of the safe houses in the country and sit tight until help could get there to get them out.

Though, that also meant that they were in a shit load of trouble now because Hydra knew they were there, knew who they were. As if that hadn't been obvious enough when Bucky had been seen by that Rollins guy back at the cafe a bit ago. This was absolutely the worst situation that could have come about for them and there was no one there to help them this time.

Bucky sat down beside her, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body as his knee brushed against hers as he settled. He knew the look on her face wasn't good, and he leaned over to her and nuzzle in against her as he whispered, “Something's wrong, what is it?”

Turning toward him a little more, she returned the show of affection so she could whisper back to him, “They know who we are, we have to get out of here as soon as we can.”

He leaned back to look at her, his lips forming into a grim line as he took in the full weight of her words. Yeah, it was going to be one more long ass day it seemed.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I switched around a lot in this chapter just to start opening up the backstory a little bit into the Hydra thing, but also to kind of give some insight into what's happening back at the Tower. So forgive me if it's a little bouncy. Also, there are some new OC's that I will be introducing from here on out that will be my bad guys. Just hang in here with me and I'll do my best to update as soon as possible.
> 
> For those of you coming back to read, thank you so much, and also a thank you to new readers as well. I appreciate every one of you that comes here to read, it means a lot to me.
> 
> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

Steve had been somewhat of a nervous wreck ever since Bucky and Teagan had left the tower earlier in the week, with good reason. He'd been the constant buffer between them so that one or both of them didn't end up hurt because of Teagan's obvious grudge against Bucky. But she'd reassured him she was ready to do the mission and that she could work with the other man enough to see it done the right way. 

Of course, he'd been hesitant to let them leave, but Fury had told him to let the two of them handle it, that they needed this.

He was probably right, but Steve found himself checking with Natasha or Maria every chance he got, for any word from his two best friends. So far, the news was all good and they were making a lot of progress in identifying new Hydra members who didn't have files yet. It had helped to ease Steve's mind to know that the two had been together for four days and hadn't killed each other yet.

Stepping through the door of the intel room, he walked over to Natasha and sat down with a sigh, “Anything new from them yet?”

She shook her head before turning to meet his gaze, “Not yet, but I think we need to pull them out. I've been monitoring some of the cell phone and e-mail accounts of the agents they've identified already.”

Looking back at the screen, she pulled up a few windows and enlarged them to show Steve some of the messages she'd managed to decrypt.

_He looks like The Asset but no arm._

_They're too predictable, we need positive ID on The Asset._

_Identity confirmed on Asset, surveillance ready._

Frowning at those three windows, he turned concerned blue eyes toward Natasha, “You've got to get them out of there. They know it's Bucky, and if they reactivate him he could kill Teagan.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but as soon as she did the new set of files came in from Teagan before a notice showing that she'd wiped the tablet. Natasha frowned and started the decryption on the files as another message came in straight from Teagan's phone.

_Compromised. Cams and bugs, possible ID. Need out._

Beside her, she could tell that Steve was getting more and more anxious now that it was confirmed that his friends were in very real danger. He wanted nothing more than to assemble the team and get on the quinjet to go out there and pull them out himself. But he knew he couldn't do that, not after they had worked so hard to get all this information for them to use to catch more Hydra members.

Without a glance back at him, Natasha sent Teagan a message in return and then closed out the program before finally turning to look at Steve again, "The best we can do right now is wait to hear from her again. They're both smart, Steve. They'll get out and get to a safe house where we can pick them up."

He nodded back to her as he stood up from the chair he'd been occupying, “I hope you're right about that this time, Nat.”

She hoped that she was too because even though she was reassuring him that everything would be fine, she had that bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. And from looking at him right now, she knew that he was feeling the same thing. But for now, she gave his arm a slight squeeze before brushing by him to go and make the report to Fury and see when they could leave to go help their friends.

 

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

 

After having watched Bucky and Teagan leave in such a hurry, Jack Rollins was quick to return to the Hydra facility hidden in the city. It had been quite a shock for them all to discover that one of their best weapons had been sent right to them by S.H.I.E.L.D. There had been reports that he'd been undergoing recovery therapy to free his mind from the words, but he hadn't completed it yet.

The higher-ups were hoping that there was enough of his programming left in him to be able to reactive the Winter Soldier for their purposes. It had to be carefully done though, mainly because of that partner of his, not a super soldier by any means, but she was no less dangerous. She didn't have the same aversion to killing someone as the good Captain seemed to have, which meant more caution with her.

But he'd heard whispers that they wanted her alive, brought in to study just what it was that made her up and gave her the abilities she had. If they could get Barnes, capturing her would be easy.

Pushing his own thoughts aside, he walked into the room where Mitchell Carson and the new head of the Hydra cell were waiting for him.

“Did it work?” Carson asked as he relaxed into the chair he was sitting in, eager to be able to redeem himself for his failure with the whole Hank Pym debacle.

Nodding once, Rollins folded his arms behind his back, "Yes Sir, he knew who I was and they left just like you had hoped they would. Proper Protocol is for them to report and request extraction, they'll be on the move soon enough to a safe house."

The new head, Ivan Ivanov, turned the computer screen around to face both Rollins and Carson as he lounged comfortably in his chair, while the feed from the villa bathroom played out for them. Of course, they couldn't hear the two talking because of Teagan's idea to talk in the shower together.

“This one, this Agent Brooks, she's quite smart for such a young thing. You make sure she comes to us alive, Mr. Rollins.” Ivan said as his gazed stayed on the screen, watching every move that Teagan made with more than a little interest.

“Don't worry about that, Sir. I'll make sure she's delivered alive.” Rollins answered back as he watched the feed for a moment before turning his gaze away again.

He'd been called in to help deal with the capture of The Asset, just to ensure that Hydra got what it was they wanted this time around. This was the chance that Hydra needed too, having their main target pretty much dangling in front of them with only a woman to protect him? It was a mistake that they were going to make S.H.I.E.L.D regret very soon.

“You're dismissed. Go and bring them both back alive.” Carson stated as he stood up and turned to leave the room through a door off to the right-hand side.

Rollins lingered in the room until Carson was gone and the door had closed behind him, “The agreement wasn't for the girl to be left alive.”

“No, it wasn't. But she's more useful to us if she's alive, don't you think? Enhanced strength even though she's never been injected with the serum, she could be the key to something stronger than the good Captain." Ivan mused as he finally looked away from the screen to meet Rollins' firm gaze.

“If that's what you want, Sir, we'll bring her in.” Rollins said before Ivan waved his hand to dismiss him from the room now that they were done talking.

Wordlessly, he turned and left the same way he'd come in, closing the door behind him and starting down the hallway to the equipment room. His men were supposed to be getting ready while he'd been giving the brief mission report to Carson and Ivan. The new order was going to make this mission harder though unless they could reactivate The Asset and have him subdue the girl.

Either way though, he knew there wasn't room for failure when it came to this mission.

Pushing the doors open to the equipment, he gazed at the five-man team that was putting the finishing touches on their tactical gear, "We have new orders. We reactivate The Asset, and bring him and the girl back here, alive."

 

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

 

Steve was taking his frustrations out on the punching bag in the training room while Anna sat nearby with concern shimmering in her eyes. He'd told her about the danger that Bucky and Teagan were in, and about their inability to do anything until they heard back from them. It wasn't just that they were his teammates, they were two of his best friends in the world, and there was nothing he could do to protect them this time.

He had admitted to her before that he felt responsible for everything that had happened to Bucky because he hadn't been able to save him from the fall. Survivor's guilt, that's what they had told him back in the war, and it was more than a little true even now with Bucky obviously alive. The man tended to put so much on his shoulders that wasn't really his burden to bear, just like he was doing now.

“Steve, they both knew how dangerous this mission was going to be. They are good at what they do and you know that, better than anyone else here you know that.” Anna stated quietly as his punches slowed for a moment, those blue eyes turning to her for only a few seconds.

Without a word, he went back to punching the bag as her gaze softened even more, she wanted to be able to help him when he got like this. It was rare that it happened, but beneath the Captain America facade, he was still just a man who needed comforting just like any other. Sighing a bit, she stood up from her chair and walked over to him, reaching out to put a hand on his right arm to stop him from continuing on.

Standing straight, Steve lowered his hands to his sides and finally met her eyes, “I shouldn't have let them go, not with Buck still being...I'm supposed to be their leader and not send them into danger like this.”

“Steven Grant Rogers, you didn't send them anywhere. Director Fury asked if they were capable agents and you told him the truth, and they are more than capable of doing this job. They both knew all of the risks before they left this tower together, they chose to do this mission. Now stop acting like this and be the man they need you to be right now." Anna finally stated so firmly that it made Steve's eyes widen a little at the conviction in her voice that wasn't usually there.

It was honestly uncanny how much she sounded like he did when he was using his 'Captain' voice, as the rest of the team had put it. But it shouldn't have surprised him all that much really, the two of them were alike in so many ways that he'd known from the start that they were meant to be together. That was even more evident now when she was being his strength when he needed it the most, and doing it in a way that was exactly what he needed.

Blue eyes softened as they met hazel eyes, that exciting mix of brown and green that sometimes uncovered a hint of blue, and he smiled down at her. Reaching out, he gently stroked the fingers of his left hand through the silky raven colored curls that fell around her face. She was pretty all the time, but when she showed that spark of a temper she had hidden inside, she was gorgeous.

“You're right, doll. I'm sorry for making you have to get mean with me." He said as he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss.

Puffing out her cheeks a little in exasperation, she gazed up at him as he leaned back from her a few seconds later, “You're impossible, do you know that?”

Laughing warmly at her reaction, he pulled off the fingerless gloves he'd been wearing, turning and putting them in his bag before he looked back to her, “That's what you love about me though, and you're my best girl because you're willing to put up with me anyway.”

Rolling her eyes, she stepped up to him and used his shirt to pull him down so she could press her lips to his for a few seconds, “Yes I do love you, so very much. But if you don't get back up there and be the leader you were born to be, I'm going to punch you, Rogers.”

He grinned at that and stole another kiss from her, longer this time than the one she'd given him, leaving her nearly breathless when he let go and stepped back from her. That innocent smile tugged at his lips as he picked up his bag and started toward the doors of the training room.

“You're cute when you threaten me, doll. I'll see you at dinner later.” Steve called back to her over his shoulder, looking back to give her a wink that he was amused to see had her blushing.

Everyone always thought that he was the innocent one in the relationship, but it was exactly the opposite, she was the innocent one. Oh sure he'd been nervous and blushing when he'd first asked her out, and especially the first time they'd had sex together. But since then, he'd found his confidence and always looked forward to the next time he could make her blush.

 

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

 

Bucky was watching as Teagan slept beside him again, following the gentle rise and fall of her chest as he lay there unable to sleep. They had tried to come up with a plan for them to get out and get to the safe house, but it had ended up being more of an argument than anything. It was his fault for the most part, and he knew that he'd let his rattled nerves get the best of him and she'd rightly gotten pissed at him.

“ _Okay, I managed to short out the surveillance in this room. We can talk here, quietly.” Teagan said as she sat down beside him in one of the other bedrooms, one without a ton of windows in it._

_He'd been packing a small bag for each of them while she'd worked on the surveillance stuff, and now they were ready to discuss their plans. There wasn't really a good way out of all of this, but the important thing was to get out and to the safe house as soon as possible. Though that also meant giving Hydra the slip and getting there without being followed at the start, or being seen in the process._

“ _We should just leave now, get out while we have a chance.” He stated as he looked over at her at his side, watching the way the frown fell over her face as soon as he said it._

“ _There is no way we're just hauling ass out of here without a plan, Barnes. That might have worked for you in Hydra, but this isn't the way we do things in S.H.I.E.L.D.” She snapped back at him as she pulled up a map of the city on her phone and used the projection feature in her watch to cast it up onto one of the walls._

_Her tone grated on his nerves, already fragile from the anxiety he was experiencing, as well as the sexual tension on his end of things. Right now, he couldn't decide whether he wanted to smack some sense into the young woman, or pin her to the bed and have his way with her until morning. Both were appealing really, and that was how he knew that his state of mind was not in a good place and that he needed to just breathe and try to relax before he did something stupid._

“ _Look, if we stay here much longer, they are going to come here and we won't have a chance.” Bucky growled back at her, their eyes meeting as she whipped around to look at him because of the tone he'd just used._

_And he knew he'd screwed up as soon as he saw that defiant little lift of her chin before she marched right up to him, “I don't give a shit how good you think you are, this is protocol on every mission and you will damn well follow it!”_

_Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the venom in it was what made it sound like she was yelling at him right then. It made something snap in him to have that tone directed at him, one he should have been more than used to by now._

_Grabbing her shoulders, he spun her around and shoved her up against the wall behind them, “I'm not staying here while you and S.H.I.E.L.D come up with your stupid little plans, doll. I don't take orders from kids like you.”_

_He should have known better because he'd already gotten her angry before this, but that shove against the wall and his words that followed had set her off. Big time._

_Teagan wrenched his right hand off of her shoulder and before he knew it was coming, her left fist cracked off of his jaw hard enough to make him let go and take a few steps back from her. He was shocked as he looked back over at her, reaching up to touch the place she'd just punched him. His lip felt tender too, not split and bleeding, but it had come awfully close to that._

“ _Get out then. Get the fuck out and go back to Hydra! Because I swear if you walk out that door, I will kill you the next time I set eyes on you.” Teagan said back to him in a tone that told him that she was absolutely serious about every word she'd just said to him._

_That was what gave him enough pause to realize that he'd made things worse between them again, well they both had made it worse really. Shaking his head, he raked both hands through his hair with a heavy sigh as he tried to get himself together again._

“ _Doll, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things, but we really don't have time for all of this. The longer we stay, the more danger we're in here.” Bucky said as evenly as he could, reaching out his right hand toward her to try and draw her to him in an attempt to settle her ruffled feathers._

_It earned him a right hook this time, along with her turning around and storming out of the room like the force of nature she was. And he'd been right on her heels, trying to get a hand on her without actually hurting her, or letting her punch him again. Because super soldier or not, getting hit by a woman with her enhanced strength really did hurt enough for him to not want it to keep happening._

_He caught one of her arms when she went into their bedroom, using it to swing her around and onto the bed, quickly following her down onto it. Mindful of his own strength, he caught her other arm and raised both of them up to pin them down above her head as he held her in place with his body._

“ _Let me go. Now.” She snapped up at him, squirming to try and free herself from his steely grasp, though she wasn't nearly strong enough to get away unless he let her._

“ _Not until you settle down. Look, I'm sorry okay, but I know what happens if they show up here. They'll use this shit in my head and you'll be lucky if I don't kill you.” Bucky said softly as he met her angry green eyes, doing his best to show her that he didn't want to fight about this anymore._

_He was just trying to show her that they needed to get out now, while they still had half a chance to do it and get away in the process._

“ _We are not breaking protocol.._.I _am not breaking protocol.” She said back to him as she squirmed again, trying to pull free of his grasp even though she knew that wasn't going to happen._

_Frowning a little, Bucky shifted and pressed her down more firmly beneath him, “Please stop struggling, I'll let you up if you can agree not to hit me again and to just listen to what I'm saying.”_

_Her eyes locked with his, the growing fury in them making him wish he'd gone about this differently than he'd chosen to. Just the look on her face was enough to let him know this wasn't going to be easy from here on out, not with her so pissed at him._

Somehow, he'd managed to get her settled back down enough to be a little more rational with him by the time dinner had rolled around. She'd still been upset but had at least stopped trying to punch him every time he got near her. They'd talked a little, and he really had tried to just explain why it was best if they just left and planned later when they were out.

Of course, she wouldn't hear of it and had shut him down on it, and he'd let her that time because he didn't want to fight with her anymore. So in the end, they'd had dinner and she had poured over what intelligence she had as she made their plan of escape. Now they were here in bed with her sleeping so peacefully beside him where she'd shifted to while sleeping.

He sighed and reached out with his left hand to gently brush some strands of hair away from her face, growing still when she turned onto her side and curled in against him. This was the only reason he stayed, for her, because he didn't have the heart to leave her alone to face Hydra. Bucky was sure he'd come to regret it at some point but for now, it was worth the risk.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, this is where things are going to get interesting. I'm calling this the first of my 'turning point' chapters, and you'll all see why as you read this one. I'm being kind of mysterious about things though, so don't expect a lot of answers in this chapter, this is just the turning point for what's coming up. I hope you all enjoy it though. 
> 
> Once again, thank you to everyone who comes here to read this, I appreciate every one of you just for coming to check this out. You're wonderful!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

The early morning sunlight was coming through the window when Teagan finally woke up the next morning, wrinkling her nose at the brightness of it. She could feel the firm press of Bucky's chest against her back, his gentle breathing synced with her own after sleeping beside each other all night. It had become a normal thing, to wake up and find herself all the way across the bed curled up with him. That wasn't a surprise really though, she'd ended up like that with Steve every single time they'd been on a mission together.

There wasn't really anything to it other than the fact that her subconscious craved the human contact, that closeness to another person. She hadn't mentioned it to him though, and most likely wouldn't either, there was no need to if he didn't know or didn't care. Though it did still irritate her a little at how she could snuggle up to the man who'd almost killed her.

Shaking the thought out of her head, she slipped out from under his arm and got up from the bed as soon as she was free of the sheets. Her mind was already going back to the plan she'd thought up the day before, no thanks to him of course. Glancing back at the ex-assassin, she sighed and went over to the closet to figure out an outfit to wear for the day.

It was likely they were going to leave today, hopefully that would appease him and also get them out of Hydra's grasp before they could make a move. With that in mind, she chose a pair of the comfortable cargo pants she'd picked up a few days ago when they'd went out shopping. The last thing she wanted was to be on the run in skirts and shorts, as that almost never ended up well in the end.

Snagging one of her tank tops to go with them, she headed off to the bathroom to get a shower, laying the pants and shirt down beside the bra and panties she'd sat out last night. Pushing the door closed, she turned on the water and set the temperature where she wanted it before stripping out of her sleeping clothes.

Teagan hated knowing she was being watched right then, but it wasn't the first time and probably wasn't going to be the last either. Shaking those thoughts free of her mind, she stepped into the shower and set to work washing her hair as she went over the plan details in her head. They really needed to leave today, she knew that and also knew that it would help settle Bucky's anxious ass down a little.

She understood why he was that way, but she also knew that letting him lose his head on her wasn't going to help matters any at all. It did make him very annoying to deal with though, she'd figured that out yesterday when things had gone to hell between them for a while. A pleased smirk tugged at her lips as she remembered the one good punch she'd gotten in before he'd restrained her. That had felt so good, just to be able to hit him one time.

Her thoughts wandered for the rest of her shower, much to her disappointment actually, and she stepped out a few minutes later. She was quiet as she dried herself off and then got dressed, brushing her teeth and then her hair once she had her clothes on.

Swinging the door open, she was a little surprised to see that Bucky was gone from the bed, as he hadn't been getting up as early as he used to. At the tower, he'd been up almost at the same time as she was, but out here he'd adopted a completely different sleeping schedule. Not that it was any of her business really, and she pushed those thoughts aside as she sat down on the bed to put her shoes on.

When she finished, she got up and went toward the stairs to go see what Bucky was up to for the morning, smoothing her hair into a ponytail as she came down. His back was to her when she walked into the kitchen, greeted by the smell of fresh coffee and breakfast. Raising her eyebrows a little, she tilted her head as she watched him at the stove, more than a little shocked to see him cooking.

“There's coffee here for you if you want some, doll.” He said to her after a few moments where he could feel her watching him from her position in the doorway.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she came on into the kitchen and over to the counter beside him where he already had her coffee mug sitting out for her, “Thank you...”

He turned his head to look at her for a few seconds, that brilliant smile lighting up his face as he did, “I figured it was the least I could do after everything yesterday.”

Glancing over at him, she shifted a little and then looked back to her coffee as she poured herself a cup and added some sugar and cream. Once it was to her liking, she lifted the cup and took a sip as she leaned her hip against the counter to watch him while he cooked.

“Coffee and food is a start, I'll give you that much.” Teagan finally quipped back to him as her eyes tracked the motion of his arm as he used the pan to flip the pancake he was cooking.

Following the line of his arm, she let her gaze sweep over him to take in the still damp hair that fell against the tops of his shoulders. Down to the t-shirt pulled tight over his muscled torso, and then to another pair of those jeans that looked like they were made just for him. She'd never been much of an ass girl, at least not until she'd seen _his_ in those jeans; now she had an appreciation.

Bucky could feel her watching him as he slid the pancake out onto one of the plates sitting to the side, putting the pan over to cool as he switched off the stove. Turning to face her completely, he didn't miss the way her eyes shot up to his face, those green eyes a little wider as she realized she'd probably been caught. It was cute really, watching her struggle not to act like she hadn't just been checking him out.

Oh, he'd been aware of it ever since it started back at the tower; she might have hated him, but she was definitely checking him out on a regular basis. At first though, he hadn't been aware that it was attraction, as he figured she was just looking for weaknesses to use against him. But then he'd noticed the way her looks lingered, how her eyes seemed to take in every movement he made. That's when he knew that there was more to those looks than just anger.

He resisted the urge now to tease her about it, not wanting to get her riled up again, a smile pulling at his lips as she turned and went over to the island counter where they'd taken to eating breakfast. Lifting up his own coffee, he took a drink as he moved the plate over to the counter and then took the small bowl of fruit he'd cut up and sat it over there as well.

She glanced up at him and then to the food, hesitating for a few seconds before she finally fixed her plate and slid onto one of the bar stools. Bucky sat down beside her and fixed his own before starting to eat quietly. It was awkward at best, but he was just waiting for her to say whatever it was that was on her mind right now. The look on her face told him there was something she wanted to say, but he was being patient and letting her have the silence so she could think.

“M'sorry too...” Teagan murmured after a minute or two of complete silence between the two of them while they ate breakfast together.

It hadn't been her intention to apologize to him at all, but it was clear that he was trying to make amends and she couldn't be a total bitch. Not after how good he'd been to her since they met at the tower, while she'd been nothing of the sort toward him. She wasn't forgiving him by any means, but Bucky didn't deserve how she'd been with him the night before.

Putting his fork down, he swiveled the bar stool so he was facing her, a warm smile on his lips as he leaned against the counter, “What do you have to be sorry for, doll?”

Frowning down at her plate, she set her fork down and finished chewing and swallowing what was in her mouth before taking a sip of coffee. Only then did she turn to look at him, meeting his gaze rather than letting her eyes wander this time.

“Look, we both know I wasn't exactly nice to you last night. And I hit you too...so, for that..I'm sorry.” She said carefully as she shifted a little where she sat, obviously not comfortable trying to have this conversation.

Bucky found it to be adorable though, the way she was trying so hard to do the right thing even though she wanted to keep holding that grudge against him. He shouldn't have thought about it, or her, like that but at this point it was impossible really. Laughing softly, he slid off the stool and leaned close to her side to take the empty plate from in front of her.

“Apology accepted, sweetheart.” The words were low, almost rumbling up from his chest as he said them close to her ear, biting back a smile at the way she shivered and then went completely rigid where she sat.

Leaning back a little, he grinned at her and was pleased to see the way her cheeks started to turn pink and how her eyes shot back down to the counter. It wasn't a secret that she was attracted to him, and he wasn't' exactly being secretive about his attraction to her lately either. The only problem was that deep-seated animosity she still harbored toward him.

“Not going to kiss and make up with me?” The words were barely out of his mouth before her smaller hand collided with his cheek and he had to struggle not to burst out laughing.

“You're...ugh, you're impossible!” Teagan spat back at him before turning and all but running from the room to get away from him.

It left him grinning in amusement as he watched her go, clearly flustered by his blatant attempt to get her to kiss him for something other than their cover. Seeing as how that was effectively blown, there was no reason for the two of them to keep pretending to be lovers. She knew that of course, which was why he'd tested the waters a little to see what her reaction would be. And she didn't disappoint him either, she was still every bit the little spitfire she'd been back at the tower, only more fun now that he'd gotten a glimpse behind that wall she put up around herself.

 

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

 

After his teasing at breakfast, Bucky had gone off after Teagan to try and soothe her ruffled feathers before she really got mad at him again. It had gone well enough, she'd more or less forgiven him for the comment, and then threatened him not to do it again. He made no promises on that, opting instead to lead her into the room she'd deactivated the bugs in so they could talk over their plan. Well, her plan actually.

“This one to the northwest is going to be the easiest one to get to, but it all depends on if we're followed or not. If need be, we can head for this one here and then eliminate anyone following us and switch direction to swing back here.” Teagan stated as she slid her finger across the map to show him a new point on it where the second safe house was located.

She'd poured over maps of the area to learn where they all were so that she could get them there as quickly and efficiently as possible. He would have been given the same intel she had, but Teagan was the planner of the group, always working something out. Trying to stay ten steps ahead of their enemy, but she'd fallen short this time and it bothered her quite a lot.

“I think it's a good plan because they'll be following us no matter what happens from here." Bucky said as he scanned the map again before lifting his gaze to her.

Nodding at that, she closed the map holo and looked up at him, a little surprised to see him already looking at her, “What are you looking at me like that for?”

Frowning a little, he reached out and put his hands on her shoulders, “Don't do anything stupid like trying to protect me. Steve will kill me if anything happens to you.”

Teagan met his eyes with a firm resolve that he knew he wasn't going to like very much, "I made a promise to Steve too, and I intend on keeping it. That means I bring your hundred-year-old ass back to him alive, that's my mission now."

Quirking an eyebrow at her jab at his age, he had to bite his tongue to keep from saying something he knew he really shouldn't say to her. This wasn't the time for it anyway, he could say all he wanted to say to her when they made it back to the tower safely.

He opened his mouth to say something but the sound of shattering glass interrupted what he'd been about to say to her. Letting go of her shoulders, he turned toward the door and wasn't surprised in the least when a Hydra agent kicked it in a half second later. Bucky rushed forward to take care of him as Teagan shot by him to handle the next one in line.

Kneeing his guy in the stomach, Bucky followed it up with a firm hit to the back of his neck, dropping him to the floor before relieving the unconscious man of his gun. Without a word, he walked out of the room, sidestepping Teagan as she slammed her guy's face into the wall with a sickening thud. He had to hand it to her, what she lacked in actual finesse, she made up for with that aggression that always made Steve wary.

“Try not to kill anyone, doll. You know Steve doesn't like it.” Bucky said with a smirk in her direction, prompting her to lift her head to look at him with a completely dull look.

Spinning around, she kicked the guy in the center of his chest and flipped him backward over the railing, the crash from below confirming that the coffee table had broken his fall. At that, Bucky raised an eyebrow at her as he lifted his left arm up to shield against the gunshots that came from the top of the stairs. She let him be her shield for a few seconds before she ran out from behind him, never missing a beat as she twisted and used the wall as leverage to launch herself at the next guy on her list.

She landed on his shoulders, a page out of Nat's book for sure, locking her thighs around his neck as she let herself fall backward and wrench his gun out of his hands. Aiming it at the next man up the stairs, she caressed the trigger to fire off a couple of rounds, one in his right knee and the other in the shoulder.

Bucky rolled his eyes and came forward as she dropped the gun on the floor, using her legs to flip the guy over, landing with her knees on either side of his head. Tilting her head just a bit, she smirked and then slammed her fist into his face before she got back to her feet and picked up the gun again. Behind her, Bucky was already handling the next two on the stairs, clearly not worried about these grunts at the moment.

They weren't the ones to worry about and Teagan knew that already, but the problem was that she knew they could be seen from the cameras. Well, it was time to remedy that little problem.

Turning off the watch on her wrist, she reached into her pocket to take out her cell phone, twisting to her left as Bucky threw one of the guys in that direction. He hit the wall and she scoffed as she turned off her cell and then stuck it back in her pocket, stepping over wall guy on her way toward the stairs. Slipping the ring off of her left hand, she twisted the diamond and then pushed down, sending an electromagnetic pulse through the villa.

If it worked the way Tony said it would, then it would kill the surveillance on them so that she and Bucky could have a better chance at escape. Continuing down the stairs, she stepped over the guy at the bottom and walked over toward where Bucky was dealing with two more grunts.

“I swear, you men take forever to do anything.” She huffed as she hung the gun over her shoulder and ran forward into the fight to help her partner.

Bucky elbowed the man on his left, following it up with a kick hard enough to sent him flying across the room, “Look who's talking, it took you long enough to get here.”

Teagan gave him a deadpan look as she kicked her guy between the legs, sending him to his knees in pain before she swung the gun free and used the butt of it to hit him in the face with. Bucky winced at the kick, reminding himself again why it wasn't a good idea to make her any more angry with him. The last thing he wanted to have happen was for her to ensure he no longer had a sex life. Though to be honest, he hadn't had one since the forties, but he'd like to have one again eventually.

He finished taking care of his guy, dropping him to the ground as a canister rolled across the floor, spreading gas around the room. Teagan sucked in the biggest breath she could, holding it as she motioned for Bucky to head toward the back of the villa like they'd planned on. Nodding to her, he went into movement ahead of her, but not so far that he couldn't help her if she needed it.

It was odd that their way wasn't blocked though, and he slowed near the back door, looking over his shoulder at Teagan just as the shot rang out. The only sound out of her was a gasp, her leg almost giving way with her from where she'd been shot in the upper thigh. Dropping the gun on the floor, she pressed her hand against the wound as her eyes met Bucky's.

“Just go! I'll be fine!” She yelled as he started toward her, intent on hauling her out with him no matter how he had to do it.

“Shut up, I'm not leaving you here. Hold your breath again.” He grumbled as she swayed on her feet just as he reached her, sweeping her up into his arms as carefully as he could.

Teagan had started to do as he said despite the stupidity of this whole thing, but the first touch he made against her pulled another gasp from her. It felt like someone had poured liquid fire into her veins, heating her from the inside out, burning but not quite hurting, not yet.

“Hey, hey! Teagan, look at me dammit!" Bucky growled at her when her eyes seemed to want to flutter closed, sending a spike of fear through him.

The wound wasn't bad enough to put her down for the count, he'd seen her with worse than this, but this gas in the room wasn't anything he was familiar with either. Hurrying across the way, he kicked the back door open and ran outside with her, sliding to a stop at the sight of Rollins and his team. In his arms, Teagan let out a pitched whine as she gripped his shirt so tightly that it turned her knuckles white.

“Bu-Bucky..please..please, make it stop!” It was the first time she'd called him by name, and it made him clutch her closer to his chest as his eyes darted between the men.

There was no way he could take them all down and keep her safe at the same time, he was good but he wasn't that good. If he sat her down he knew he could probably take them on, but it would leave her completely unprotected if he did. That was the whole problem with the situation right now, that he knew he couldn't put her down because there was no guarantee she'd be alive by the time he got back to her.

“You're not going anywhere, Sergeant. If you want the girl to stay alive, you'll come with us peacefully.” Rollins spoke up as he took a couple of steps closer to the pair, keeping his gaze locked on Bucky as he did.

Cradling Teagan a little tighter, he desperately searched for a way out of this mess, at least until the quiet sob that came from her. She writhed in his hold, those small hands clawing at him wherever she could find purchase, and that worried him more than anything else. Whatever was in that gas had caused this, and he didn't know what the hell it was.

“The longer you delay, the worse it's going to be for her. I can do this the hard way if you want, Soldat...” Came Rollins' voice again and Bucky felt like he might be sick.

The last thing he wanted was to end up back with Hydra again, but there was no way he could just leave her here to die, or worse. Teagan's crying was getting worse, as was her squirming and that was what finally broke down the last of Bucky's resolve.

“Fine..I'm not going to fight, just help her.” He bit out as he locked eyes with Rollins again, who nodded and motioned to the two men on his left.

They came forward and one of them took Teagan from Bucky's grasp, and he only just restrained himself from grabbing her back. It was the red dot that appeared on her head that made him keep still, gritting his teeth as the man injected her with something that made her go limp.

“She'll be fine, as long as you do as you're told. Now get in the car.” Rollins ordered as he motioned to one of the black SUV's behind him where they were putting Teagan.

Bucky came forward, his heart racing with anger and fear at this situation, only able to keep going because he could see Teagan's still limp body in the back of the car. As he passed by Rollins though, he heard the one thing that started panic flooding through him.

“желание. Ржaвый." Blue eyes widened, his hands clenching into fists to ready himself to fight back, but the second he moved, he saw the gun pointed at Teagan's forehead.

His heart was racing in his chest as he shook his head, “Please stop...”

“Семнадцать.” The next word came and Bucky could feel that programming starting to kick in, that thing he hated and feared all at the same time.

This had been the worst idea and he'd known it in the beginning, he had no business coming here with her when he wasn't completely free of these words. God he'd been away from this long enough to have grown attached to Steve again, and now to her. He might have run before this, but looking at her right now so helpless, Bucky felt tears sting his eyes as the next word passed.

It all happened the same way it did every time before this, that switch flicking into place in his mind and everything went dark. The men around him stood tense and ready as Rollins stood in front of him, waiting as Bucky drew in a breath and stood straight. His eyes swept around him before settling back on the man in front of him with a cold sort of detachment about him.

“Я готов отвечать.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit shorter than most of the other chapters, but I needed a good place to end it and this is where my muse said to stop for now. I've explained a couple things in this chapter, and more will come out in the next one. Thank you again for all of you who read this story, it means much to me!
> 
> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

Teagan's head was throbbing something awful when she started to come around again, struggling to get her eyes to open. It felt like every action took all the strength she had in her, just to open her eyes left her weak as she blearily gazed around the dimly lit room she was in. She didn't recognize any of it, but her mind was still foggy in a way she couldn't even begin to try and process at that moment.

Turning her head just slightly, her gaze fell to her hands that seemed to be restrained to the bed she was laying on, causing a frown to mar her features. In her current state, she knew there was no way she could even begin to break the restraints. Well, there was no guarantee that she could do it even if she were in a better state, she didn't have 'super strength' after all, she was just noticeably stronger than the average human.

Breathing in slowly, she turned her gaze around the room again as her tongue swept over her bottom lip, grimacing at the way her mouth felt. It was that awful post-medication thing that made her thirsty and left her feeling disgusted at the same time.

It wasn't just that though, she felt like she was burning up from the inside out somehow, like the very blood that flowed through her veins was fire. She didn't know what to make of that, hadn't ever experienced anything like it before, but it was unsettling at best. Maybe even more so than being restrained to this bed she was on.

Closing her eyes again, Teagan did her best to shake off the fog of whatever they'd given her, knowing that she needed a clearer head for this. She could remember the attack, fighting through the Hydra agents with Bucky to try and make their escape. There was the memory of getting shot too but after that, it seemed like everything was kind of fuzzy to her.

Obviously, they had either killed Bucky (not likely) or brought him back here with her, which was what she assumed was the case. He was their weapon and she knew they wouldn't put him down lightly, not when he was more valuable being left alive. But that didn't speak well for her, she was nothing compared to the Winter Soldier, and it made no sense why they'd let her live.

Blue eyes opened again as she shifted a little, gritting her teeth against the ache in her thigh from being shot. Lifting her head up as much as she could, she took better stock of her situation. The right leg of her pants had been cut away so that her wound could be tended, evidenced by the bandage wrapped around it. Well, that was a plus, they had at least tended to her wound it seemed, that or made it worse somehow. Honestly, she just didn't know what they'd done to her and that was the terrifying part of all of this right now.

Worse was that she didn't know where her partner was, didn't know if he was still Bucky or if he was the soldier again. She'd promised Steve she'd bring Bucky back to him in one piece, and that meant bringing the real Bucky back, not the Winter Soldier. Breathing out a sigh, Teagan pulled against her restraints to test them. As expected, they didn't budge even a little bit and the effort left her feeling light-headed.

Damn those Hydra assholes and whatever they'd drugged her with, she knew they would keep doing it too because she was a threat. Well, she assumed she was a threat if she was left to fully recover from the drugs and her injury. Actually, the injury wouldn't slow her down an awful lot if she could just get up and get her muscles warmed up again. She could grit her teeth through the pain and just deal with it, but it was the getting loose part that was the problem here.

Her musing was cut short when the heavy clunk of an electronic door lock sounded through the room and she turned her head to look at the door. It swung open to reveal a man she'd never seen before, one she assumed was probably the leader of this Hydra cell if his clothes were anything to go by. The suit fit him well and it looked expensive, and that mildly amused her for some oddball reason. Dark brown eyes swept over her before moving back to her face as he stepped into the room and started toward her bed.

“You're finally awake, Ms. Brooks. You'll forgive my men for treating you so harshly, they aren't trained in how to handle someone like you.” Ivan said with a sickly sweet smile that made Teagan want to punch that look off of his face just because it gave her the creeps.

“Forgive, huh? You and your men can go fuck yourselves.” She shot back at him before turning her gaze back up toward the ceiling, starting to relax herself and focus on a routine that Natasha had taught her.

If they were going to torture her, then she was going to keep her mouth shut and just disconnect her mind from her body so they got no satisfaction out of it. And if they questioned her, she would just ignore them and go off into her own little world until she could formulate a plan of attack. She'd never had to use this particular skill before now, but she was glad that Natasha had spent weeks teaching her how to more or less 'zone out' if she needed to.

“Come now, that's quite a terrible mouth for a young lady to have. Perhaps seeing your friend would soften that sharp tongue of yours.” He said as he raised his hand and motioned to the men behind him, ones that Teagan hadn't seen until just that moment.

She knew he was talking about Bucky though, and she felt her heartbeat speed up at the prospect of seeing him again, knowing he was safe. But then she realized that they had probably reactivated the Winter Soldier, she wasn't going to see the man she'd spent all those days and nights with. That bothered her more than she was willing to let on but at the same time, it sent more of that fire through her just at the thought of seeing him again.

Heavy footfalls sounded in the corridor outside and she clenched her fists, taking a few breaths as she struggled to just ignore it all. She couldn't let them get into her head by using Bucky to do it, because if they got in her head they could break her. It was hard though because with every step closer she felt her pulse rising higher and higher, right along with the heat in her body.

Ivan stepped to the side and within seconds, Bucky stepped into the room and came to a stop, his blue eyes glancing at Teagan for a moment before turning his full attention to the other man in the room. He didn't say a word because he was trained not to unless he was spoken to first, but there was a question burning on the tip of his tongue. Who was this woman, and why did he feel such a pull to her?

Teagan bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes, desperate not to look at him when he was like this because it brought all of those memories back. The attack that nearly killed Director Fury. A gunshot that could have killed Natasha. Her own fight with the Winter Soldier that left her barely clinging to life, only still alive now because Steve had gotten there in time to keep him from finishing the job.

But beneath those thoughts were the new ones from the past week together while they were undercover on this mission. The way he'd held her at night without ever saying a word, without teasing her about her penchant for curling up to him in her sleep. Those times when he'd soothed away her nightmares, and the way her own nearness had seemed to keep his own hellish dreams at bay. God, she hated this more than anything, all these conflicting thoughts and emotions swirling around inside her like this.

“Soldat. You have field medical training, why don't you inspect our guest's wound?” Came Ivan's voice, breaking through Teagan's thoughts as her eyes snapped open as soon as those words were out of his mouth.

She started struggling against her restraints again, yanking hard with her hands and her legs as she struggled to try and free herself. The last thing she needed was for him to touch her right now, she didn't trust the Winter Soldier because he wasn't Bucky. But it was more than that, the thought of him touching her was heating her body up all over again and that was the most terrifying part for her. Why was she reacting like this? What had they done to her to cause this?

Bucky's footsteps made her freeze as he came right up to the bed and walked around to her right side, those blue eyes cold and distant as he watched her for a long moment. Reaching out, he loosened the bandage on her leg and started to unwind it, eyes narrowing after a moment when he saw the bright red stain on the white bandages.

Teagan was trembling as she lay there while Bucky unwound that bandage, each brush of his fingertips sending a rush of heat straight through her. Her hands were clenched so tightly that she could feel her fingernails biting into the palms of her hands, thankful for the added pain that seemed to help keep her head relatively clear. At least until the bandage slipped away and a single hand rested on the inside of her thigh, pulling a cry from her throat that even startled her.

God but it felt so good to have him touch her, so good that Teagan was sure that she was drunk on the feeling and only wanted more of it. Her hands unclenched as she shifted and pressed that thigh further into his hand, actively seeking out his touch even though her mind was screaming at her that something was wrong. Turning her head her green eyes met his blue ones, and she swore the temperature shot up by another ten degrees.

He looked away, back down to her leg as she whimpered at the touch of his calloused fingers sliding over the smooth skin, jerking her gaze back over to Ivan, “What...what the hell did you do to me!”

The man looked positively amused as he watched the two of them, sliding his hands into the pockets of his trousers, "Whatever do you mean, Ms. Brooks? Clearly, we've treated your injury, and are now seeing to it once again."

Bucky's fingertips slid over a particularly sensitive spot and Teagan instantly clamped her thighs around his hand, drawing his attention right back up to her. He was almost frowning at her as he easily pulled his flesh hand free and then reached out with the metal one to hold her leg still. That sent a jolt through her, the cold of the metal against her overly heated skin was both torture and pleasure that had her biting hard on her lip to keep quiet.

“You reopened the wound. Stop moving.” He murmured to her in a voice that caused a shiver to skate down the length of her body.

She'd never heard him sound quite like that before, but it was absolutely one of the most arousing things she'd ever heard before. No matter how she wanted to deny that fact, she was becoming increasingly alarmed that everything he was doing was arousing her. It was starting to click into place now as she swept her tongue over her lips and wrenched her attention away from Bucky and back to Ivan.

“You drugged me...some kind of aphrodisiac, why? What do you want?” Her words weren't as steady as she liked, but god help her it was all because Bucky was still _touching_ her.

It didn't have to be much of a touch either, the slightest touch from him was enough to send her mind and body reeling in arousal now. Ivan seemed particularly amused at that fact as he watched Bucky tend to the wound that she'd reopened in her struggles. Stepping up to the left side of the bed, Ivan reached out to brush some of her auburn hair back from her face, an amused smirk tugging at his lips.

“I would say you're very clever, but it's quite obvious, Ms. Brooks. The blend of chemicals inside the gas grenade only works on women, and it was my little gift to you.” He explained as she turned her head away from his touch, finding it oddly unappealing to her whereas Bucky's touch set her body on fire.

That was another question that now settled itself into her mind, why did Bucky's touch make her lose her mind while this man's touch did nothing for her? She wasn't a scientist by any stretch of the imagination, and with her mind already foggy from arousal she couldn't work out why it was only him. All she really knew right now was that the more he touched her, the more her body burned for him.

“Oh I see the look in your eyes, you want to know why you burn for him, don't you?” Ivan purred against her ear, making Teagan recoil away from him and earn a hard clench of Bucky's metal hand on her leg.

He didn't say a word as he finished cleaning and tending the wound with the supplies that had been sitting on the small table beside the bed that she hadn't seen before. Those same hands now reapplied the bandages, far more tightly this time, but not tight enough to do any damage. It was like torture to her though as she found her hands clenching all over again because he was touching her so close to where her body really wanted him to.

No way was she going to ask for it though, this was so wrong on so many levels and the last thing she was going to do was make this worse. If it was a chemical of some kind then it should wear off sooner or later, and until then she'd just suffer through it while she planned their escape.

“You're stronger than I had thought, but you can't wait this out. We formulated this just for women like you, Ms. Brooks. The longer you fight against it, the stronger it becomes and it will eventually kill you if you don't seek relief.” Ivan cut in on her thoughts with a tone that sounded all too smug about the whole situation, and it absolutely made her stomach churn.

“Good...let it kill me.” She said back to him in a voice that was far more breathless than she would have liked for it to have been.

Laughing softly at that, he shook his head and reached out to grasp her chin, forcing her to look into those dark eyes, "We're not going to let it kill you. Do you want to know why you burn for him, why his touch drives everything but him from your mind? Because we altered the chemical to react with his DNA, he is the only one who can give you what you want, and you _will_ ask for it. One way or another.”

Stepping back from her, a snap of his fingers brought one of the Hydra scientists into the room with a syringe that made Teagan shiver in fear. She started struggling against her restraints again as Ivan nodded to Bucky, who reached out and held her down firmly. It made tears well up in her eyes as she gazed up at him, terrified of this but not wanting him to ever let her go.

“Bucky! Don't do this, please help me! I know you're in there, James Buchanan Barnes!” She yelled out at him, desperately trying to get him to come back to himself and get them both out of this absolute nightmare.

He only looked down at her curiously as she felt the needle press into her arm, shaking her head frantically as she felt the liquid rush through her veins. It was like being dropped into an open flame, her entire body on fire as a scream ripped from her throat that echoed in the room. No injury she'd ever had felt as bad as this did like her body was being torn apart at the seams over and over again.

The first scream was followed by a second and a third, and through it all Bucky was there holding her down without a hint of emotion. She wished now that they'd never taken on this mission in the first place, it was almost like it had been a set up from the very beginning. Teagan swore then that if they made it out of this alive, she was going to apologize to him for being such a bitch, hell she'd even apologize to Tony at this point.

Her hands were released now because they knew she was too weak and pained to try and escape, but her freedom as quickly followed by another shot. This one didn't add to the pain but she didn't care, the fresh pain was still coursing through her every few seconds. And when that next wave of pain wracked her body, her hands shot out to grab onto Bucky's biceps as she bit back a cry that threatened to leave her lips.

Ivan nodded to Bucky, seeming to communicate some unspoken order before the former turned and left the room, the lock clicking back into place as soon as the door closed behind him. It left Teagan alone with the Winter Soldier for the first time since their meeting and her near-death experience. Being alone with Bucky was something she could handle, but this was not the same man that she'd seen back at the villa, not by a long shot.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.
> 
> I'm sorry this chapter took so long to be finished, but it really gave me a lot of problems. After watching Infinity War, I had a hell of a time trying to get back into writing this story, and only just got the desire to want to finish this chapter. Hopefully, the next chapters won't take so long to get written and posted here. Thank you again to all of you who take the time to read this story, it means a lot to me. 
> 
> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

Steve was positively seething as he stood in Fury's office, glaring down at the man sitting behind the desk a few feet away from him. He'd come all the way up there to get the man to let him lead the Avengers on a rescue mission for Bucky and Teagan. Fury had shut that down as soon as Steve had opened his mouth about his plan for getting his friends back.

“Leaving them out there with Hydra is as good as a death sentence, _Sir_.” He bit out as he tightened his hold on the belt of the uniform,

Before going up there to the office, he had been so sure that Fury would agree to let him lead the team in to rescue their friends. Though it had turned into a knife in the back when he'd been denied the chance to go out there and save two of the people who meant the world to him.

“If you go charging in there right now, you don't know what could happen. They're good agents, they're trained for this. You said it yourself, Captain, they're the best we've got.” Fury said back to him with a pointed look that only made Steve's jaw tic in restrained anger.

Closing down the file that he'd been looking over about Teagan and Bucky's mission, Fury leaned back in his chair, “When we have confirmation that it's safe to go in, you'll lead your team in and get them back, but until then you do what I tell you, Captain.”

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously, and Steve had to restrain himself to the extreme, “Yes Sir. But understand this...if anything happens to them, you'll answer to me.”

With that threat hanging in the air, Steve turned around and stormed out of the office, barely having the decency not to slam the door behind him. He was worried and angry, two things he had a hard time dealing with even before the serum. Going against Fury's orders could get them all into a lot of trouble, or worse it really could lead to something worse happening to his friends.

Dragging a hand through his hair, he stepped onto the elevator and hit the button to go down to the common room where he knew most of the team would be. If they couldn't go out and get Teagan and Bucky yet, they could at least try and come up with a plan for when they were able to. He just hoped that he was right about what he'd said, that they were the best agents S.H.I.E.L.D had for this mission. God knew he hadn't ever meant for them to be captured, not his two best friends.

When the elevator doors opened, he stepped out and went down the short hallway into the common room where most of the others were hanging around. Tony was the first one to notice that he was there, giving him a bit of an odd look before he seemed to catch on to what was wrong. No words were needed for that, they'd known each other long enough for the billionaire to know the different looks that he had.

“Going out on a limb here, but I'm gonna assume that Eyepatch up there said no lights.” Tony commented, trying to keep the mood light with his usual snarky comments about things.

Steve stared at him for a long minute before finally nodding, "Right now they're on their own and we have to wait for the right time to go and get them."

The rest of the team had turned to look at him when Tony spoke, staying quiet as their two 'leaders' talked back and forth a bit. Sometimes Tony took the lead on things, but most of the time it was Steve who stepped into the leadership role, and that just worked really, oddly enough.

“Steve, you know we're going to get them back, right?” Natasha finally spoke up as she came over to his side to try and offer him a little bit of support.

Bucky and Teagan were part of the team and everyone cared about them each in their own ways, and having them taken wasn't sitting well with anyone right now. That was why this team worked the way that it did because everyone cared about everyone else in some way. They were a family, albeit a very diverse and seriously odd family, but still a family.

“She's right Cap, we'll get them both back as soon as we're able to.” Sam chimed in as he met Steve's eyes with that steady look, the one that helped Steve to get his head together when he needed it.

“Until we get the order to go in, I want to find out anything we can about where they are. The more we know, the better off we'll be when we go in for extraction.” Steve said after a moment or two of thought, his eyes turning to Natasha when he spoke because she was good at what she did.

She was good at what she did, and if there was a way to get that information then he knew that she'd get it no matter what she had to do. Turning his attention to Tony now, Steve straightened up a little and went to say something, but the billionaire waved his hand at him.

“I already know what you're asking. All the surveillance footage was downloaded and sent back here to my private servers, just tell F.R.I.D.A.Y what you want and she'll pull it up for you, Capsicle." Tony said before grabbing his glass of scotch off the counter and taking a sip of it just as the door opened and Anna walked inside.

“Son of a bitch.” Turning as quickly as he could, Tony fled the common room through the back exit around through the kitchen.

He wasn't supposed to be drinking and he knew that if Anna got her hands on him, there was going to be some serious repercussions for doing what she'd told him not to. Well, it was actually Pepper who told her not to let him drink, but Anna took that job very seriously and he was not of a mind to let her lecture him today. Nope, he'd get out of there and enjoy his drink and then try to placate her later on in the day, or the week.

Anna narrowed her eyes when Tony took off, making a mental reminder that she needed to have a little chat with him when she caught up to him again. Right now though, she shook her head and then stepped up to Steve, putting a hand on his forearm as she looked up at him. He gazed slightly down at her and gave a tight smile that she knew was painful for him, he didn't want to smile right now and she understood that.

“Steve, let me work with Natasha. We can get the information you need, you know I have contacts who can help us." She said firmly as she gazed up at her boyfriend, wanting to help but also knowing that he wouldn't want her involved in this any more than she already was.

He really didn't want anything to be linked back to her because he wanted her kept safe, and no matter how safe she assured him her contacts were, he still worried. It was only because he loved her that he worried as much as he did about her, but it was also why he trusted her as much as he did. Turning to face her completely, he put his hands on her shoulders and then leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead.

“You cover your tracks better than you ever have before, you hear me?” He said softly, more an order than an actual request at the moment, but she knew why that was.

“I promise I'll be careful, you have my word.” Anna said back to him as she hugged him to her for a moment before she let go and turned to Natasha, the two women sharing a conversation without any words.

Steve watched as the two women left a few seconds later, uneasy about letting Anna do this but he also knew that aside from Natasha, she was the best they had. Not only was she Tony's sort of secretary and part-time babysitter, but she was also one of the best computer techs they had. Paired up with Natasha on something, the two were the scariest thing you could encounter when it came to computers. So if anyone could find the information they needed, it would be Anna and Natasha.

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Teagan wasn't sure how long she'd been there in the room, locked away with Bucky as her guard, though for what reason she wasn't sure. She was too weak to try and escape on her own, whatever they'd given her after that shot of hell had made her feel about as weak as a newborn kitten. All she'd been able to manage was the grip of her hands against Bucky's arms whenever he came close enough for her to touch. But he never once said a word to her, and only looked at her with that cold detachment that let her know she really was all alone in this.

Laying there now she was shivering, half from the pain and half from the fever that was working its way through her body. It kept her in some kind of sick state between crippling pain and burning arousal that just wouldn't go away. And it only got worse every time Bucky touched her, every time she touched him.

He was standing there now, across the room just staring at her as though she might try and escape or do something else stupid. Gritting her teeth against another wave of pain, she looked away from him, not wanting to see those stupidly blue eyes just watching her without emotion. Even as much as she'd disliked him at the tower, he had never looked at her like this, like he didn't care if she was dying. Like he would just stand there and watch the light leave her eyes.

The sound of the electric lock drew her attention and she tilted her head to look over at it through the curtain of sweat-damp hair around her face. It opened and Ivan stepped back in with a pleased-looking smile that sent chills through her because this bastard was enjoying watching her suffer. God, she'd kill him if she made it through this, not with a gun though, oh no she'd make this one pay when she was able to get out of here.

“How are you enjoying your time with your partner, Agent Brooks?” He asked as he came forward to stand just out of her reach from where she was laying on the bed.

She just glared at him as another wave of pain rolled through her, “This...he isn't..my partner! I'll kill you...when I get out of here...I will kill you.”

Ivan chuckled a little at that, nodding his head as though he didn't have a care in the world, "Yes, of course, you'll kill me, I've heard it all Agent Brooks. But you really should thank me for letting you spend time with him."

Her eyes narrowed just slightly before movement from Bucky had her full attention as he came toward the bed, making her tense up. She both hated and was comforted by his touch, but with her ankles still bound to the bed, she couldn't get away from him. This time though, he didn't touch her as he stood there at the side of the bed, glancing down at her with that same empty expression.

“I'll thank you when you give him back...when you give the real Bucky back to me.” She growled out at him as she tried her best to keep her eyes on both of these men because she didn't trust them.

Smiling in amusement, Ivan reached out to brush her hair away from her face, easily avoiding her trying to smack his hand away, “We shall see, Agent Brooks. But for now, Soldat bring our guest and follow me.”

Bucky undid the restraints on her ankles and then lifted her up, pulling a whimper from Teagan at how good it felt to have him holding her. His touch scorched it's way through her, further arousing her and making her hate herself for it even more than she already did. It didn't matter that it wasn't her fault, that this was because of what Hydra had given her, done to her. But she was doing her best to resist all of it, to do anything she could do to try and buy them time enough for the others to come for them.

She knew their friends would come to get them, but she didn't know when that would be and they had no real way of knowing until it happened. And after all the training from Natasha, she knew that she had to keep as calm as she could and do her best to resist everything until they were rescued. Or at least until she could get Bucky to snap out of his Winter Soldier persona so he could help her.

Ivan led the way down the corridor as Bucky followed obediently behind him carrying Teagan, his grip ensuring she couldn't escape. Not that she was in any shape to try though, she felt more like she was losing her mind with every second that passed. She wanted to fight her way out no matter what it took, but at the same time, she wanted to peel off every layer of clothing Bucky wore so she could run her hands over his bare skin. It was the worst feeling in the world, being so conflicted over things that she really shouldn't be in conflict over in the first place.

Teagan was shivering and clinging to Bucky by the time he walked into the room that Ivan had led them to, desperation starting to set in as he held her effortlessly. Though that thought was broken when Ivan spoke up again, “I hope you'll enjoy your new accommodations, Agent Brooks. You're going to be spending quite a bit of time in here.”

Jerking her head around, her green eyes took in the sight of the room they were now standing in and she felt her stomach clench. The large bed in the center of the room sent a thrill through her that was also tinged with absolute fear at what this meant. There were no windows to be seen, and the only other doorway led into a small bathroom off to the left side of the room. It was the sort of set-up that didn't take a genius to figure out, this room was meant for the purpose of driving her out of her mind. Leaving her here with Bucky was only going to lead to one end, and it wasn't one she was completely sure she wanted.

Oh, of course, her body wanted him, the drugs in her system made damn sure of that, but her mind was most certainly not on board with this. He was attractive, she could admit that if she had to, but this wasn't something that was supposed to happen. Hydra was supposed to try and kill her, torture her to get information out of her. And yet, it seemed like Ivan didn't need or want any information she had.

“Don't look quite so panicked, Agent Brooks. I'll, of course, be leaving Soldat here to keep you company." Ivan stated as he took in the look on her face, a smug little smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

God help her but she'd never wanted to kill someone more than she did at that moment, and she acted on it this time. Her right hand shot out toward him, but Bucky shifted her away, the slight friction between them causing Teagan to whimper as the fight drained out of her almost instantly. Wordlessly, he carried her a few steps forward and deposited her on the bed before turning his head to look back at Ivan.

The two men shared a look before Ivan said something in Russian and Bucky gave him a nod, the former glancing back over at her, “I'll give you two hours, Agent Brooks.”

Blinking a couple of times, she shifted to try and sit up a little as she glared at him, “Two hours for what? If you think this will break me...think again...”

He laughed as he slid his hands into the pockets of his trousers, clearly amused by what she'd said, “Oh, we're not trying to break you, Agent Brooks, far from it. No, our goal is a little more...primitive.”

Turning his gaze to Bucky caused her to do the same, her mouth going dry as she watched him start to unbutton his shirt. Green eyes were locked on him as she drew in a shaky breath, that arousal starting to burn hotter again as she watched more and more of his chest become visible. No matter how much she wanted to fight this, seeing him baring skin did things to her she couldn't begin to control.

Ivan seemed amused by the look on her face as he laughed again, drawing her attention away from Bucky for the moment, “The reason why you're here, agent? To help us create a new super soldier.”

Teagan felt like her blood turned to ice in her veins the second those words left his mouth, a shaky breath leaving her as the full implications of his words struck her. Knowing what they wanted now, knowing that they wanted her pregnant with Bucky's child made her sick. The last thing she wanted was for any child she had to be in the hands of Hydra, she'd rather die first. But it only made it worse when she thought of Bucky, how she knew he would remember this, every bit of it if he ever came back to himself. She wanted to fight her way out, to tear through all of them until she was safely back at the tower, but she couldn't.

Shivering a little, she lifted her eyes to Ivan as he turned and walked out of the room and the door closed with a heavy thud. The electric lock engaged and she flinched at the finality of that sound ringing in her ears. She wasn't exactly the religious sort, but Teagan was praying to whatever higher power there was that their friends would get there soon. And as she turned her eyes back toward Bucky, watching his shirt slip off of his broad shoulders to flutter to the floor, she realized just how much trouble she was really in as that liquid fire rushed through her again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I finally got this chapter written! I know a lot of you were probably expecting this to be the smut chapter, but it's not. Knowing the situation Teagan and Bucky were in, it just didn't feel right to write out the sex between them. Mainly because I didn't want to glorify what was happening to them at the hands of HYDRA. 
> 
> There will be smut later in the story, but I want to focus on the plot of this for the moment. So hang in here with me while I work through the next chapters of this story. Thank you all again for reading, leaving kudos, everything!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

Whatever Teagan had been expecting the Winter Soldier to do, it hadn't been for him to crawl onto that bed beside her and kiss her. Okay, maybe she had been expecting that at least a little, but she was nowhere near the point of being prepared for it. Not with that damned drug running through her system and making her absolutely desperate to get him out of his clothes. Her hands were clenching the sheets at her sides, doing her best not to let go of them because she knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself if she let go.

That didn't stop her from kissing him back though, her little sounds of pleasure muffled against his mouth as he pressed closer against her side. It felt like fire all along the side of her body where he was touching her, and he was making it so very hard to keep herself sane. Because all she wanted was him, and the longer he stayed near her like this, the more she wanted him.

His lips finally left hers and she drew in a breath as their eyes met, “Bucky...I know you're in there..please don't do this...please don't.”

Rather than responding to her plea, he dipped his head down to trail those sinful lips over her neck as one of his hands came up to brush against the inside of her thighs. It wasn't like she actually needed the 'foreplay' at this point, HYDRA had made sure that she was more than ready for him. Which was the reason why this was so much more painful for her to endure, her mind not wanting this but her body begging for it. She hated the conflicting feelings it caused, but oh she loved the way it felt when he touched her.

Bucky's hands lifted then, the cold metal of his left hand causing a shiver to roll through her as he unbuttoned and unzipped the pants she had on. She didn't resist him either, didn't even try as she turned those green eyes up at him as he easily lifted her with his metal arm and used the other to pull them off. Her hands clenched harder at the sheets, desperate for this to just end before she couldn't control herself anymore.

Leaning back into her, his lips found hers and Teagan whimpered against his mouth as those same hands slid up to her tank top and ripped it so easily right down the middle. If they weren't here, if she wasn't drugged and being held captive, all of this might have felt so different. She might have thrilled at the sight of him ripping her clothes off, even if this was Bucky. Just because she was angry and hurt over what he'd done didn't mean she hadn't found him attractive the whole time. But this was something she knew she shouldn't enjoy like this.

Her bra followed the same fate as her shirt before he caught her hands and pried them off of the sheets so he could slip the remnants of the shirt and bra off of her arms. Cold, blue eyes met hers as he broke their kiss, and her breath hitched a little at the desire she could see building in those eyes.

Was it Bucky, or was it the Winter Soldier?

Could the soldier even feel desire for her?

Did he want this, or was he drugged just like she was?

Those questions spiraled through her mind as he brought her arms around his shoulders, wedging his hips between her legs. Teagan's eyes widened a little as she felt him pressed so intimately against her, clutching at his shoulders as that fire burned hotter inside her. It was bordering on painful now that they were touching so much, and she could feel the tears sting her eyes as they lay there together.

“Bucky..please.” It was a plea, but she didn't know anymore if it was a plea for him to stop, or to make that fire, that ache inside her go away.

He didn't say anything back to her, only held her gaze for a long moment before he leaned down and caught her lips in another kiss. This one more intense than the others had been, nudging her lips to part so his tongue could slip inside to brush over hers. And this time she moaned into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and delving her fingers into his silky hair as he curled those powerful arms around her. Teagan knew then how this was going to end, and she was tired of trying to fight it.

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Anna ran through the hallways of the tower as fast as she could, her right hand curled tightly around a flash drive that was more precious than anything at the moment. Half sliding around a corner, she turned down the hallway and burst through the doors of the common room a few seconds later. The sudden entry startled the Avengers already present in the room, but it was Steve's attention she wanted right now.

He stood up from the table where he'd been sitting with Sam, Nat, and Clint. A frown marred his features as he hurried over to her and put a hand on her shoulder as she struggled to catch her breath. The tower was quite big and she'd stupidly taken the flights of stairs like they were nothing in her haste to get to Steve with this new information. 

“Sweetheart, control your breathing so you can tell me what's wrong.” Steve told her warmly as he slid his hand to her back to rub gently.

Shaking her head, Anna thrust the flash drive at him, “I got it...just..look at it.”

Taking it from her carefully, he handed it over to Tony, who had come up beside them in concern at how frantic Anna seemed. There weren't a lot of things that could rattle the woman, or even get her in a rush, so apparently, she'd found something major. 

“FRIDAY, show us what our lovely Anna brought back for us.” Tony said as he inserted the drive into one of the bands on his wrist.

Steve glanced up at the holo-screen that appeared as he curled an arm around Anna, keeping her close as she caught her breath from all the running. The rest of the team gathered around as FRIDAY pulled up the information and then displayed it on the screen. Tony reached out and flicked a few things around until they were arranged so they could see everything at once. 

By some miracle, Teagan's tracking device was still active or had reactivated at some point. And Anna had gotten exact coordinates for the location where Teagan and Bucky were being kept. 

Though she'd gone much further than that once she'd found out where they were, knowing she had to do anything she could to help their friends. So she'd called on some of the most dangerous people she'd known of in the hacking and technology shadows. People she'd hacked with in the past, before coming to work with Tony and the Avengers. The sort of people she was careful never to anger because of what they could possibly do under the right circumstances.

“Surveillance on the building, a backdoor into their security systems and their secret handshakes? Color me impressed, sunshine." Tony said just to keep the mood light as he swiped through those things to upload them to FRIDAY for monitoring and processing.

He paused on a file that was still mostly encrypted, frowning a little as he brought up the contents of that file that Anna had managed to decrypt. For the longest moment, you could have heard a pin drop in the common room as the handful of Avengers stood there in shock at what they were seeing. Anna was holding back tears as best she could as she stood at Steve's side, not able to even look up at him.

Steve looked torn between crying or going in and ripping Hydra apart, though it looked more and more like the latter option was what he was going to go with. He dropped his arm away from Anna and drew himself up into that Captain America stance he always seemed to have whenever he put on the uniform.

“They used him to get to her, it was all part of their plan all along.” Tony murmured quietly, guilt and remorse rising up inside him because of how flippant he'd been with Teagan before she left.

Breathing out slowly, Steve looked around him at Nat, Sam, Clint, and Tony, “I'm not waiting for Fury to give orders this time, I have to get them out of there before Hydra gets exactly what they want.”

God, it made him sick to think that his two best friends were being used as nothing more than tools for breeding a new super soldier. He knew it would destroy what was left of Bucky, everything he'd struggled to regain would be lost if this was a success. But Teagan, Steve knew it would break her in a way that she wouldn't ever be able to recover from. This wasn't about SHIELD anymore, it was about saving two people who meant more to him than he had words to describe. 

“Screw Fury, this is personal. We hit 'em where it hurts and get our friends back.” Tony said as he turned around with a resolve in his eyes that was rarely ever seen in the billionaire.

He and Steve locked gazes and then nodded at each other before Steve turned to face the others, “We inform the rest of the team, if anyone wants to sit out this mission, I'll understand.”

Before anyone could say anything else, Wanda, Vision, Pietro, and Scott came into the common room and joined the group. Steve looked at each of them in turn, receiving a nod from all of them that made him truly appreciate just how close-knit this crazy family was. They all cared about each other no matter how often they might fight or argue sometimes. 

“Thank you, all of you. Avengers, suit up and meet in the briefing room in ten minutes.” That said, Steve turned and pulled Anna into a tight hug for a few seconds, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he let go and went off to get suited up.

The others were quick to follow their leader out of the room to go to the equipment room to get suited up.

–//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Teagan was struggling to catch her breath, her body still trembling from the aftermath of pleasure she'd just experienced with Bucky. It had been good, almost too good really, but at the same time, she was so disgusted with herself for enjoying this. She pulled the sheet closer around her and fought back the tears that were threatening to fall now that her body was finally returning to normal after having been drugged. 

Her leg ached from all of the activity in the last couple of hours, and she accepted that, she wanted to feel that over the pleasure that was still singing through her. Bucky had cleaned it and put fresh bandages on before he'd simply left the room like nothing had happened. The soldier had done his part and she'd been left there like some one night stand. It made her feel dirty no matter how she tried to rationalize the whole situation. 

Bringing the sheet with her, she sat up and slipped off of the bed, careful of her injured leg as she half walked, half limped into the bathroom. She was thankful there wasn't a mirror there because she didn't know if she could stomach looking at herself right now. After a minute or so of searching, she found a washcloth and then set to work cleaning herself up as best she could right now. 

The tears welled up in her eyes all over again as she cleaned away the sticky mess between her thighs. She was so disgusted with herself, but also angry that Hydra would do something like this to the both of them. How could she ever face Bucky again once they were rescued from this? Sure they weren't exactly friends, but they were partners on this mission, she was supposed to keep him safe for Steve.

Rubbing angrily at her eyes, Teagan finished cleaning herself up and then pulled on the shirt that Bucky had left behind. It came down to her knees and she curled her arms around herself as she limped back to the bed and crawled up onto the end of it. Pulling the blanket up from the floor where they'd kicked it off in their lust, she wrapped it around herself and leaned her head back against the wall.

She had to hold onto the hope that the others would come for them soon, that Hydra's sick plans wouldn't actually work. Teagan honestly didn't know all the ways her body was different from normal people, she'd never fancied being a guinea pig before. But she was hoping that somehow, just maybe she wouldn't get pregnant from this. It was probably a false hope, but she was going to hold onto whatever she could grasp right now, anything to get her through until their friends arrived.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long since my last update, but life was hectic and my muse more or less just died on me. But now I'm back in the swing of things and am writing as much and as often as I'm able to. So, while I know this chapter is short I hope you'll all hang in while I get the next ones written. Hopefully Bucky and Teagan will cooperate with me and let me get the next chapters written soon!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.

Screaming. Always the screaming.

Bucky woke in a cold sweat to the phantom screams that always came from his nightmares, the memories of all the lives he'd ended. It made his stomach lurch from those memories as he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face, trying to calm his breathing some. Out of habit, he turned to look beside him to see if Teagan was still asleep, and it was then that it all hit him at once.

The HYDRA attack on the villa, Teagan getting shot and him having to hand her over to them or risk her dying. He was shaking a little as he swallowed down the urge to throw up as more memories flooded his mind, ones he wished he could forget. Of her beneath him, crying out for him to stop, not to stop, the pain in her eyes because she couldn't control herself. Bucky hadn't ever felt worse than he did now, knowing what he'd done to her when it had been his job to protect her.

It also meant he was still being held by HYDRA, and if they found out he was himself again, they would bring the soldier back. Swallowing a bit, he took a breath and pushed his hair back from his face, if he could just fool them long enough to get to her and get her out, they could run. He was going to try at least, he owed her that much after what he'd done to her.

He wasn't sure he could do it though, but he was damn sure going to try his best to get them out and to one of those safe houses until he could contact the team. Another scream jolted him out of his thoughts and his head whipped toward the door, his heart racing at the sound of that scream. It was her screaming, Teagan screaming in pain from whatever they were doing to her, and it made his anger flare up. After everything they had done to her, the things they'd made her endure, they were still doing even more.

Before he could react any further, a man appeared in the doorway and Bucky looked at him silently, “The boss wants you, Soldier.” Without uttering a word, Bucky got up from the bed and slid his feet into the boots beside the bed, making quick work of tying them. He stayed silent as he followed behind the man, trying to keep his face as impassive as he could, this was the chance he'd wanted. And it would be the only one he would get if he screwed this up.

Teagan's screams were echoing through the hallway and he did his best to ignore them as he followed the man to the room where her screams were coming from. Steeling himself as best he could, he followed him inside and stood still and silent as he tried not to look at her. God but it killed him on the inside to see her laying there on a table, strapped down to it in just her bra and panties, her pale skin littered with bruises and cuts. Even from where he stood he could see her trembling as Ivan slid the blade of a knife along the smooth skin of her stomach, leaving behind a trail of red.

“She is quite strong, Soldat. Don't you think?” Ivan asked as he drew the blade further down toward her hip before plunging it into her skin a few inches, pulling another cry from her.

Bucky wanted to tear the man apart, but he kept his face as impassive as ever as he looked over at him, knowing that wasn't a question that required an answer. She wasn't looking at him at all though, her eyes closed tightly as she struggled not to cry in front of these men tormenting her. It amazed him all over again at how brave and strong she was as he watched Ivan twist the knife and then pull it out.

“She responds so much better to you, Soldat. Let's see if you can break her will to resist. ” Putting the knife down, he looked away from Teagan and over to Bucky.

Without another word, he nodded to Bucky and then went toward the door, motioning for the other men to follow him. With the soldier active, there was nothing to worry about in leaving him to deal with the little agent in their clutches. Or at least, that's what Ivan was thinking as the door closed behind them, leaving the two alone in the room with only Teagan's barely restrained sniffles to break the silence.

God, how Bucky hated himself for not somehow getting them out of this mess when he'd had even the slightest chance back at the villa. He should have made her leave that night rather than staying and making a plan of escape. But it was done now, he couldn't take it back and he couldn't take back what he'd done to her either.

He couldn't remember exactly how long they'd been here, how long Teagan had been forced to endure this, but he knew it had been too long. Just looking at her he could see the paleness of her skin, highlighting the bruises that were scattered across her body. It made him sick all over again to see just a little of what she'd gone through, but it firmed his resolve right there. He was getting her out of there and getting her back to the team even if it meant he died making it happen.

Keeping himself rigid, he walked over to where she was strapped down, well aware they were likely being watched right now. Reaching out, he let his hand rest against her throat, not squeezing but making it look as though he was. Bucky felt the way she jerked at his touch, biting her bottom lip to keep quiet as she braced herself for whatever abuse she thought he was going to deliver.

Leaning down, his hair fell around his face as he positioned himself low enough that he could speak quietly to her, “It's me Teagan, it's Bucky. Don't react to this, they don't know I'm me right now.”

He felt the tremble that went through her, the way she started crying silently, trying to turn her head away from him. That was good though, she wasn't acting out of the ordinary for the situation, and he knew it was crucial that she didn't draw attention to them yet.

“I know you don't trust me, but I'm going to get you out of here. But I need you to help me.” Bucky murmured softly before he raised up again, just slightly tightening his hand around her throat.

Teagan's eyes flew open to look up at him, her body tensing up and her fists clenching as their eyes locked. Like she was trying to look into his very soul right then, searching for any lie she could find. And as hard as it was, Bucky let himself be open to her, letting her see that he wasn't lying, that he really had come back to himself and was going to help her.

The relief he expected to see never showed up, but her eyes told him all he needed to know. She was willing to trust him, to let him help her, and that was all he needed. As long as she was on his side, he could make sure they got out, or at the very least, that she got out.

He'd only noticed four guards from his room all the way here, so it seemed that at least these hallways weren't patrolled, and that was good. The base they were in had four exits, and one of them was just a turn down the hallway and a quick run to the outside. If he could get them out and into the dense forest nearby, he could easily lose or kill the Hydra agents that came after them.

It was going to depend on how bad off Teagan really was though, how weak or strong she was. And he couldn't remember having seen her after those few hours he'd spent with her that he'd rather never remember again. Taking a quick glance down her body, it seemed like she still had good muscle tone and the gunshot wound on her thigh seemed to have healed.

Moving his hand away, he turned and went over to a table nearby, lifting up a bottle of alcohol and going back over to her. Teagan's eyes narrowed when she saw the bottle and Bucky saw the spike of distrust there in her eyes. He couldn't leave her wounds completely untreated though, even though this was going to hurt like hell for her to go through.

It was also a torture tactic, so it wouldn't raise suspicion for him to do it, which is what he was counting on at the moment. He met her gaze completely, hoping that his eyes showed his apology to her before he twisted the cap off and poured the cool liquid onto the wounds along her thighs.

Teagan couldn't hold back her cry when he did, jerking hard at her restraints to try and get free because it hurt, burned like fire against her skin. Clenching his teeth, Bucky did the same to the other wounds as quickly as he dared while they were being watched. At least this would offer some protection against infection once he got her out of here, as he didn't know how long they'd have to stay in hiding and traveling to reach a safe point.

By the time he finished, there were fresh tears sliding down her cheeks and her eyes were full of barely restrained anger and distrust. He'd deal with that later though, right now he had to start thinking about the guards and how to shut off the camera feeds without being suspected. The shimmer of Teagan's earrings made him pause and his hopes soared nearly through the roof.

They had taken her ring away but left her earrings, which was going to be their method of escape. Another quick glance around showed little that they could use, but Bucky was going to grab whatever might help and was easy to carry. It was already being planned out in his head as he walked over to look over the tray of tools that Ivan had left for him to use on Teagan.

He was honestly biding his time while he planned, but he picked up a rather wicked looking serrated knife before he turned back to her. Teagan's eyes instantly zeroing in on that knife as he walked back over to her and lightly rested it against her cheek before he leaned down to her.

“I'm going to use the EMP function in those earrings to get us out of here. When I set it off, I'm going to undo these straps. A guard will come in to make sure things are okay and you're going to need to act the part until he turns around.” Bucky told her quietly as he carefully slid the dull part of the blade against her cheek to keep acting his part but not to actually hurt her.

Narrowing her eyes a little, Teagan gazed at him hard but kept her mouth shut and tried to shift her head away from the knife. But Bucky saw it in her movements, the slightest nod of her head that let him know she was agreeing, and he was so thankful she was able to trust him, even a little bit.

“As soon as I take care of the guard, you need to get up and grab those clothes over there. Get dressed and grab anything you can carry that will be useful. Don't take anything that isn't necessary, we can worry about the rest later.” He tapped the knife against her cheek as he deftly undid the restraints holding her, but left them where they were so she still appeared to be tied down.

With his heart pounding in his chest, Bucky laid the knife aside and returned his hand to her throat, leaning down close to her. Close enough that no one would see his other hand lifting up to activate the EMP in her earring. God, he hoped he could really get her out now, there was no going back and he doubted they would ever get another chance like this again.

As the door opened and the guard came into the room, Bucky didn't have time to react because it was Teagan who beat him to it, grabbing that knife and flicking it almost elegantly across the room. It landed its mark, dead center the man's forehead and he was dead before he hit the floor. Well, that answered any questions about whether or not she was still able to fight because she most certainly was able to.

She avoided his touch though as she scrambled off the table, wincing and limping some as she hurried over to some clothes on a table in the corner of the room. Pulling them on quickly as she could she also shoved her feet into a pair of shoes there, tying them as best she could with still shaking hands.

Bucky was keeping a lookout as she found a small bag, stuffing some medicines and such into it, along with anything else of use she could find. When she was done, she slipped it over her head and shoulder before walking over and taking the pistol from the dead guard's hip. Taking hold of the rifle he'd been carrying, she handed it to Bucky, who looked at her in a little bit of surprise.

Teagan followed his line of sight down to the soft swell of her stomach that hadn't been that visible when she'd been laying down. Turning away from him quickly, she made sure the safety was off on her gun, “Lead the way out of her, Barnes.”

Shoving all the other thoughts out of his mind, Bucky nodded and took the lead with her on his heels, rushing through the hallway. Any guard either of them saw, they shot without hesitation as he led her to the exit and then outside. He instantly turned and started firing at the men posted on the roof and in the towers so try and keep those men pinned down.

Teagan didn't hesitate in taking off running as fast as her legs could carry her, and when Bucky deemed it safe enough, he turned and took off after her. Bullets smacked the ground near them as they ran and he was just praying, hoping, that neither of them got shot at this point. Though when he saw her stumble, that was the least of his worries.

Without stopping, Bucky ran straight to her and lifted her off her feet as though as she weighed nothing at all, which to him she really didn't. And to his surprise, Teagan wrapped her arms around his neck to hold onto him as he ran, and he would run until he was sure they were safe. He was going to protect her this time no matter what it cost him, and then if she wanted to kill him he'd let her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REDISTRIBUTE, OR TRANSLATE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION FIRST.


End file.
